James Potter Chronicles: Year Four
by Mean St
Summary: After narrowly escaping death once again, James Potter now finds himself facing a hearing with the Wizengamot to determine whether he will be allowed to return to Hogwarts, or face a life-time sentence in Azkaban Prison.
1. Reflections and Hearings

1

The small village of Godric's Hollow seemed to glow an odd shade of blue in the moments before dawn. The sun was still behind the mountains, but the light of the sky seemed to reflect down upon the hills, giving the impression that the hills were glowing. Moments later, the sun broke over the top of the mountainside, coating both the sky and the sleepy village below it a deep shade of red. Birds began to sing in the August morning as a light breeze wafted through the streets of the village.

In spite of the gorgeous scenery outside of his window, James Potter could only bring himself to think – 'Red sky at morning, sailor take warning.'

The kitchen inside the Potter House was clean and tidy, just the way Mrs. Potter liked it. The only evidence that anyone had been inside it, apart from James' presence, was the collection of newspapers and letters strewn across the table behind where James sat as he sat staring out the window at the rising morning sun. Atop the pile of papers was the morning edition of the Daily Prophet, which had arrived only an hour earlier.

'POTTER HEARING GOES TODAY,' blared the headline.

'The much discussed Wizengamot hearing for James Potter, 14, goes forward today at the Ministry of Magic in London. Unless you have been living under a rock or simply do not care, you will be well aware of the specifics of this case. For the sake of recapping, however, here are the facts: James Potter was ambushed at the King's Cross Station in London at the end of June of this year by the notorious fugitive Gilles Rochefort. The two engaged in a pitched battle which, reportedly, both survived. The twist here is that young Mr. Potter was only able to survive through the use of the Killing Curse, one of three Unforgiveable Curses which the Minstry has decreed are illegal. The use of such a curse against a fellow human being is normally enough for an automatic life sentence in Azkaban. Given the circumstances, however, there is some talk that Potter could avoid such a sentence. One thing that is certain is that he will not be alone in pleading his case to avoid prison time.

Sirius Black, 14, is a good friend of Potter's and plans to attend the hearing to support him. 'James Potter is the best man I know,' says Black, a member of Potter's House at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. 'Anyone who says otherwise can go [expletive deleted] themselves in the face with an [expletive deleted].'

Carrying considerably more weight, perhaps, is the fact that various members of the Hogwarts faculty appear to be in James Potter's corner. Minerva McGonagall, head of Gryffindor house at the school, speaks highly of him. 'He is a gifted and conscientious young wizard who will go to any lengths to help a friend in need. Pressure is being poured onto these young students at earlier and earlier ages, and I frankly find the media's involvement in this case to be both inflammatory and offensive.'

Not everyone is firmly established in Mr. Potter's corner, however. Some of the students at his school paint a vastly different picture of the young man. 'I believe he is a sadist,' said Abraxas Malfoy, a well-respected member of the wizarding community in spite of the fact that his son Lucius has reportedly joined the Death Eaters. 'He has a cruel sense of humour, punctuated by the fact that he dropped several students off the side of a building in his second year.'

Severus Snape, 14, a member of Slytherin house at Hogwarts seems to agree. 'He shows wonton disregard for the rules and a lack of care for the safety of others. He is a troublemaker who needs to be taught a lesson.'

The case, which begins today (continued on Page 7)'

Laying next to the newspaper was a letter from the Ministry of Magic, dated August 3rd.

'Dear James Potter,

We at the Ministry of Magic are delighted to hear that you were discharged from St. Mungo's Hospital and have returned home. We hope you are in good health.

However, due to the nature of your impending hearing with the Wizengamot over your actions of June 30th, we regret to inform you that you are suspended forthwith from attending Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Furthermore, Ministry officials will be visiting your place of residence to confiscate your wand. Your wand's fate will be determined when the Wizengamot has reached a satisfactory conclusion regarding your case.

Sincerely,

Dolores J. Umbridge

Junior Clerk

Department of Magical Law Enforcement'

Next to this was another letter, drawn by the same hand.

'Dear James Potter,

Please disregard the portion of the previous letter which pertained to the confiscation of your wand. Through further discussion here at the Ministry, the charitable decision has been made to allow you to retain it until such time as the Wizengamot has reached a satisfactory conclusion regarding your case. In the meantime, your suspension from Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry shall remain in effect.

Sincerely,

Dolores J. Umbridge

Junior Clerk

Department of Magical Law Enforcement'

That had been the combined work of Mr. Potter and Albus Dumbleodre. When news had reached them that the Ministry had planned to confiscate James' wand, James had never seen his father in such a rage. He had been ready to dive head-first into the Floo Network to start shouting at Millicent Bagnold herself, but Mrs. Potter had convinced him to speak to Dumbledore instead. Dumbledore had then arrived at their house where he had patiently waited through Mr. Potter's shouting that this would be suicide for James, who needed some manner of protection from against Rochefort who was still at large, and promised to deal with the matter. Dumbledore had then left, and—moments later—the second letter had arrived.

It had been a profoundly long summer for James. This was normally a time of year where he began to feel the building excitement that accompanied a return to Hogwarts. But with his future there now in doubt, he could bring himself to feel excited. He could only feel dread. 'What's the worst that could happen?', he had asked himself.

'Well,' a mean voice in the back of his mind had answered, 'they could snap your wand in half and forbid you from ever doing magic again. They may forbid you from returning to Hogwarts, so you can say goodbye to all of your friends, and that nice Lily Evans that you've been fawning over for the last three years. Oh, and to top it all off, they could chuck you into Azkaban where the Dementors will ensure you never have another happy thought for as long as you live, which—if you end up going there—might not be all that long.'

James rubbed his eyes tiredly. He had not slept all that well during the summer, but what with his hearing being today, he hadn't slept at all. The summer seemed like a blur now. He had lost consciousness in London immediately after hearing that the Ministry was placing him under arrest, and he hadn't come to until two weeks later in St. Mungo's Hospital. His list of injuries had been quite impressive—a fractured skull, a broken nose, a broken jaw, eight broken teeth, nine broken ribs, a broken hip, a broken ankle, and numerous strains, sprains and tears of his muscles.

But by far the most taxing injury had been the toll he had taken upon himself by performing the Killing Curse. He grew more and more furious with himself each passing day for not having successfully killed Gilles Rochefort. Had he only been able to rid the world of that murdering psychopath, he might have been able to look at himself in the mirror and feel that he had done something good. But he had failed. Now all he was doing was awaiting a trial for trying and failing to use an Unforgiveable Curse.

He had remained in St. Mungo's until August 3rd, during which time he had been confined to his hospital room and had been forbidden visitors. Sirius, Remus and Peter had tried to gain entry to his room by force, but they were no match for the fully trained Aurors who had guarded the door. Only very kind words from Dumbledore had prevented them from getting into serious trouble themselves. Once James had been discharged and arrived at home, he was placed under immediate house arrest. The one thing the Ministry had not taken into account, however, was the magic two-way mirror that James shared with Sirius that allowed them to communicate with one another.

Sirius had kept him company via that channel for the whole summer. Periodically, he had been able to meet Remus and Peter outside of his house, allowing all three of them to talk to James. Remus had been working doggedly through old books and libraries in Diagon Alley trying to find comparable cases for his defense, with Peter working as a research assistant. During all of this, Sirius had maintained a steady stream of insults and name-calling to the Ministry officials who dared to question him. All three of them had pledged to be there at James' hearing, which would frankly be the only silver lining about today. It had been far too long since James had seen them in person.

James' mind turned back to Rochefort. He again felt a pang of regret for not having been able to finish the job. Rochefort had murdered or attempted to murder just about everyone that James held dear in his life, and he had had the opportunity to repay him in kind. He had certainly injured him—gravely, James hoped—but he had not succeeded in killing him. James wondered if Rochefort was watching all of this unfold now, and whether he was laughing from the shadows at James for the mess he had made for himself.

The idea of confessing how and where James had learned to use these curses had never once crossed his mind. He had known exactly what he was getting into when he accepted Madam Amelia Bones' offer to learn the curses. He wondered if he had somehow transferred the curse of the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher position at Hogwarts from her to himself; she would be returning to Hogwarts this fall, while it would be considered an amazing feat if James was able to avoid going to Azkaban, never mind worrying about ever setting foot in the school again.

'James?' came a voice from the other side of the kitchen. He turned to see his father standing there dressed in a travelling cloak. 'When did you get up?' he asked as he walked into the room.

'Yesterday morning,' James said dryly.

Mr. Potter appraised him sympathetically. 'You really should have tried to get some sleep, son,' he said softly. 'Today is going to be a challenge, but doing it on no sleep…'

'I don't think it will make a difference one way or another, Dad,' James said gloomily.

Mr. Potter pursed his lips. 'Chin up, James, we're not dead in the water yet. We've got right on our side and a lot of public support,' he said bracingly as he went to pour himself a cup of coffee.

'It's not unanimous,' James muttered. 'Malfoy's Dad and Snape certainly didn't help my case.'

Mr. Potter snorted. 'No one's going to pay them any mind,' he said dismissively. 'Abraxas has fallen out of favour in a pretty big way, what with Lucius going dark side. And Snape's father is—well—he's known to the authorities, if I were to put it mildly.'

Under other circumstances, the news about Snape's family might have interested James. But it did little to lift his spirits today. 'When do we have to go?' he asked.

Mr. Potter sat down at the table. 'Within the hour,' he said. 'It's best to arrive at these things early. First impressions are going to be very important today, son, so there's a few basics I wanted to go over with you.'

'Overhauling my manners now? Isn't it a little late?' James said.

Mr. Potter smiled faintly. 'You are bright, well-spoken and articulate, James,' he said. 'But you also have your Mother's stubborn streak. If anyone on the Wizengamot pushes your buttons, I just need to urge you not to rise to it.'

James frowned. 'Is someone going to try to?'

'I would,' Mr. Potter deadpanned. 'Make no mistake, they've been listening to everything that's been said about you all summer. The good and the bad,' he said meaningfully. 'Now, there's a major difference between pulling pranks at school and trying to kill a wanted fugitive. But what they'll be looking for is a pattern of escalation. They want to be sure this is a blip on the radar, not the start of something new.'

James stared sullenly out the window. 'They want to make sure I'm not going to turn into some sort of mass murderer,' he said quietly. 'Like Rochefort.'

'That's right,' Mr. Potter said softly. 'So show them the good side of you. Don't give them any reason to doubt you for a second. That's my only advice.'

James bit his lip and looked at his father. 'What if I lose?' he whispered. 'What if they ship me off to Azkaban?'

Mr. Potter looked out the window nervously at the rising sun. 'We won't let it come to that, James,' he said. 'Now—let's change the subject before your Mother gets here. She's even more worried than you are.'

'That's inspiring,' James muttered and Mr. Potter smiled sympathetically as Mrs. Potter entered the room, also in a travelling cloak. 'Morning, Mum,' he said as brightly as he could manage.

'Good morning, dear,' Mrs. Potter said as she bestowed a kiss on his forehead. 'Been up long?'

James cast a glance at his father. 'Only a little while. I decided to watch the sunrise, I don't think I'd ever done it before.'

'Well, isn't that nice,' Mrs. Potter said, turning away and busying herself with preparing a small breakfast. James sighed inwardly. He felt like the awkward guest at his own funeral.

Mr. Potter cleared his throat. 'It should be nice to see your friends again,' he said. 'I can only imagine how much you've missed each other.'

James quickly averted his gaze. His father was wearing that look that James was all too familiar with. The look that he had come to know over Mr. Potter's long career in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was the look that said he knew something. James made a mental note to ensure his mirror was well hidden, he did not want it confiscated. 'Yeah,' he said somewhat lamely. 'I've really missed them. Hopefully they show.'

'Of course they will,' Mrs. Potter said. 'I was speaking to Peter Pettigrew's parents, and he most certainly is.'

'I wonder if Sirius' parents will let him,' James said idly. He knew full-well what the answer was—Sirius' parents could have promised him a slow and agonizing death, and he would still go.

Mr. Potter laughed. 'I don't think they have much control over him,' he understated.

They ate breakfast together in a relatively pretend-normal fashion. For the first time in a month and a half, they joked, they laughed and they exchanged stories of Hogwarts hijinx. James remained tight-lipped on his involvement in some well known pranks, but his parents were not blind to the fact that he knew more than he was letting on.

'Well,' Mr. Potter said after what felt like only a short while. 'We'd best be off now. We want to be there nice and early for the hearing.'

Mrs. Potter put the breakfast plates away and glanced out the window. 'I'd say our little escort agrees,' she muttered. James glanced outside to see the Aurors who had been tasked with making sure he did not violate the terms of his house arrest were now walking up the front path way. 'That tall one is certainly rude. I have half a mind to…' Mrs. Potter trailed off into muttering.

'Easy, dear,' Mr. Potter said placatingly. A firm knock sounded on the front door. Mr. Potter went to open it and admit the two Aurors into the house. The tall one had a long, regal mane of black hair.

'It's time,' he said in a clipped tone.

Mr. Potter raised his eyebrows. 'Thanks, Rufus, I hadn't put that together myself. I appreciate you helping me find my way through retirement.'

James fought off the urge to smirk as Rufus Scrimgeour scowled at his father. 'How are we getting to London, Dad?' James asked.

Mrs. Potter answered the question by pulling a bag of Floo Powder from one of the kitchen drawers. 'The fastest way we can,' she said hurling a handful into the sitting room fireplace. 'Ministry of Magic, James,' she said softly as he stepped forward into the green flames.

He said the words, and his world spun.


	2. Witnesses and Verdicts

2

James emerged from the spot he had materialized on and looked around himself. He had never been to the Ministry of Magic before, and he was instantly taken aback by how massive everything was. He looked behind him at the fireplace he had stepped out of only to see that it didn't really look much like a fireplace at all, but a curved little alcove in the wall. James supposed that there was no need to hide magic in plain sight here, as everyone at the Ministry was a witch or a wizard.

He almost didn't notice that someone was standing there waiting for him. Looking more gnarled and beat up then ever, with a patch over his eye where his eyeball had been blasted out by Gilles Rochefort, was Alastor Moody. His face cracked into a half smile, and James was reminded of a shark. 'Hello, Potter,' he growled.

With a whooshing sound, Mr. Potter emerged behind James. Mrs. Potter followed, and then the two Aurors from his house appeared. Moody nodded stiffly at them. 'I'll take them from here,' he said.

'We were given orders…' Scrimgeour began.

'Well, you've just been given new ones,' Moody said irritably. 'Now clear off.'

Scrimgeour and the other Auror muttered darkly, but it appeared that Moody held rank as they obeyed. Moody nodded at James and his parents and they began to walk. James gazed up at the structures around him—it looked as though they were in a massive underground cavern, but there were huge buildings stretching up into the highest reaches of it.

'Thanks for meeting us, Alastor,' Mr. Potter was saying.

Moody nodded gruffly. 'Accomplishes two things. Gets rid of them, and allows me to tell you that the location's been changed.'

Mrs. Potter frowned. 'Changed?' she asked.

'We're going to the main courtroom,' Moody explained. When faced with quizzical expressions from James and his parents, he chuckled darkly. 'It's bigger,' he deadpanned as they headed into an elevator. 'We're at Level 8 right now, that's the Atrium. Serves as the Lobby for the Ministry,' he explained to James. 'We're going to Level 9—that's the Department of Mysteries—and then we'll go down the stairs to the court rooms on Level 10.'

James nodded numbly. 'Nervous?' his mother asked.

'No,' James lied.

'I don't understand why they need a bigger courtroom?' Mr. Potter asked.

Moody chuckled again. 'You'll see,' he said as the elevator opened into the Department of Mysteries. James paid little mind to his surroundings as they found the staircase and descended. A faint buzzing sound reached James' ears, a sound that seemed to grow louder with each passing step they took down the staircase. They passed several courtroom doors until they arrived at the one Moody had been searching for, and they swung open without any provocation. The buzzing sound became a blast of noise, and James was stunned as they entered the room.

Thunderous applause met his ears. James was in the center of what felt like an auditorium, and it was broken into sections. Before him, clad in red robes, sat about fifty witches and wizards that constituted the Wizengamot. But James barely noticed them—the rest of the auditorium was filled with students from Hogwarts, who were all jumping and cheering for James. Front and center amongst them, James saw Sirius, Remus and Peter bellowing at the top of their lungs. Sirius had made a rather crude but massive poster of James' face that magically hung over the crowd smiling down at them all.

James smiled and he was somewhat surprised to find that his face hurt from the act. It was the first genuine smile that had touched his face in months. His eyes drifted over the crowd. Professor McGonagall was there, as was Hagrid. Edgar Bones and a series of Hufflepuffs were there. Frank Longbottom and Alice Dearborn gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up. Gideon and Fabian Prewett seemed to have organized a chant for James that went something along the lines of 'let him go, give him a pass, or we'll be forced to kick your…'

But James felt his heart leap into his chest when he saw the girl with the flaming red hair watching from the very highest row. Lily Evans was looking down at him. He made eye contact with her, those bright green eyes staring at him. He raised his hand tentatively and waved.

'Good luck,' she mouthed.

There was a loud bang and the noise quieted down. The head of the Wizengamot had called order—James instantly recognized him as Bartemius Crouch from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. 'The accused is present,' he said in a clear and precise tone. 'The Wizengamot is accounted for. Shall we begin?' There was a murmur of agreement from the Wizengamot and Crouch pressed on. 'You are James Potter of the Wizarding village Godric's Hollow, yes?'

James cleared his throat, finding his mouth had suddenly gone dry. 'Yes,' he said as loudly as he could.

'Do you have any witnesses in your defense?' Crouch asked.

'Er—' James began.

'Several,' came a voice from the gathered supporters. James turned to see Albus Dumbledore stand to his full height. 'First amongst them is myself—Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore.'

Another body stood from the crowd. 'Madam Amelia Bones,' declared his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. She was quickly joined by the battered Alastor Moody. 'You all know me,' he growled.

Crouch nodded. 'Very well. You may joint Mr. Potter in the center of the courtroom,' he said. The three of them quickly complied and Crouch cleared his throat. 'Mr. Potter, we shall quickly review the charges and your case. On the afternoon of June 30th, you were attacked by the fugitive Gilles Rochefort. In the course of your duel with him, you cast the Avada Kedavara curse—also known as the Killing Curse. Being that the Ministry of Magic has decreed this an Unforgiveable Curse, this act was illegal—whether the curse was successful or not. Do you agree to this summation of the facts?'

James looked at his father who nodded slightly. 'Yes,' James said.

'The Wizengamot will now give you a chance to explain yourself,' Crouch said.

James swallowed and looked around at the faces of the witches and wizards on the Wizengamot. He glanced back at the crowd of Hogwarts students and made eye contact with Sirius, who nodded vigorously. James inhaled and turned back to face the Wizengamot.

'Thank you,' he said, 'for allowing me the chance to speak. I think that you all know about Gilles Rochefort about as well as I do, but I want to tell you about my experiences with him. This is a man who killed my teacher in my first year at Hogwarts, a man who slaughtered the family of my friend Frank Longbottom. A man who kidnapped my best friend, Sirius Black, a man who murdered the Auror Engelland, a man who tried to murder me.'

James paused and spread his hands. 'You've all heard a lot about me, over the summer, as well,' he said slowly. 'You've heard a lot of people call me overconfident. Cocky, headstrong, a braggart—but I'm not stupid. When Gilles Rochefort told me that he planned to kill me, I knew that in a straight up fight between the two of us that I would never stand a chance. When he…when he got me alone in that alley in June, he told me that the only reason I had ever escaped him was because of luck, circumstance and the protection of more powerful friends.'

There were gasps from both his supporters and people on the Wizengamot alike, but he pressed on. 'He wasn't wrong,' he continued. 'Like I said, I knew I stood no chance against him in a fight. No chance but to try and surprise him. Surprise him with something he couldn't just block or dodge, surprise him with something that he would never see coming. So I practiced the Killing Curse, and when we fought, I tried to hit him with it…which I did, but it didn't work.'

James cleared his throat again. 'I knew it was illegal,' he said quietly. 'But I thought of everything that Rochefort had done…all of the good people he had killed, and the good people he could kill if he was allowed to live. And I thought…no, I KNEW I had to try. I know it was against the law, but I had to try it. To protect others.'

There was silence for a moment in the auditorium. Then, as clear as the day, Sirius' voice rang out. 'DAMN RIGHT!' he shouted and the group from Hogwarts erupted into cheers once more, stomping their feet and clapping their hands.

Crouch banged his gavel and they fell silent. 'Does the Wizengamot wish to question the accused?' he asked.

'Hem, hem,' came a small voice from the far side of the Wizengamot, and a short, plump woman with a face like a toad stood up.

'The Wizengamot recognizes Dolores Umbridge,' Crouch said.

James' eyes narrowed. This was the woman who had been sending letters to him over the summer. 'It seems perfectly clear,' she said in sickly sweet voice, 'that you know the law, Mr. Potter. It seems further perfectly clear that, in full knowledge of the law, you decided to go ahead and break it anyway. Am I understanding myself correctly?'

There was a low hiss from the crowd gathered in his support. 'Well, I—' James began, but Umbridge cut him off.

'Yes or no will do,' she said in a sing song voice. 'You know the law and you broke it anyway, is that correct?'

James grit his teeth. 'Yes,' he said quietly.

Umbridge nodded in self satisfaction. James' eyebrows knotted. What was her problem? 'The Wizengamot has been furbished with copies of your student records from Hogwarts. They make for interesting reading, Mr. Potter.'

'Is that a question?' James asked.

Umbridge continued smiling sweetly. 'You have shown disregard for the rules set forth at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Indeed, your involvement in several malicious pranks that could have grievously injured your fellow students has been widely accepted as canon.'

'If I could speak for the accused?' Dumbledore said suddenly. Umbridge looked as though she had been slapped in the face.

'The Wizengamot recognizes Albus Dumbledore,' Crouch said evenly.

Dumbledore nodded humbly. 'I merely wished to point out a small inaccuracy in the honourable Ms. Umbridge's statement. You see, Mr. Potter's involvement in the aforementioned pranks has not been widely accepted as canon as no proof as ever been presented that he had any involvement whatsoever in those events.'

Dumbledore sat down again as loud applause sounded from the gallery. Umbridge looked discomfited for a moment, but then pressed on.

'Even if it cannot be proven,' she said in an icy tone, 'the suspicion cast upon Mr. Potter, when taken into consideration with his many detentions—'

'What does that have to do with anything, you miserable old bat?' Sirius' voice interjected from the audience to a ripple of laughter.

Crouch banged his gavel. 'These sorts of remarks will not be tolerated,' he said loudly.

'What if I only thought it?' Sirius asked.

Crouch seemed to be praying for patience. 'The Wizangamot does not penalize people for what they think, Mr. Black.'

'Okay,' Sirius said hotly. 'In that case, I think she's a miserable old bat!' he shouted to more laughter.

Umbridge had turned an ugly shade of red. Crouch looked nonplussed and banged his gavel once again. 'Any more remarks of any kind, Mr. Black, and the Wizengamot will firstly remove you from the room, and secondly hold you in contempt,' he said. His remarks were met with silence. 'Continue, Ms. Umbridge,' he said firmly.

'It is merely my assertion,' Umbridge said, reverting to her sing-song voice now that Crouch had established authority, 'that this shows an alarming trend in Mr. Potter's behaviour.'

Crouch nodded. 'Duly noted,' he said. 'Mr. Potter…might I ask how you learned to perform this curse?'

James swallowed. He was about to speak when Madam Bones cleared her throat. 'May I speak on behalf of the accused?' she asked.

'The Wizengamot recognizes Madam Amelia Bones,' Crouch said in a slightly softer voice. He was watching her intently, as if anticipating the worst.

Bones nodded her thanks. 'The answer to that question is simple. I taught James Potter how to perform the curse.'

The air seemed to be sucked out of the court room. James saw looks of shock, amazement and outrage on the faces of the members of the Wizengamot. Crouch, however, did not bat an eye. 'Is it standard practice at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to teach children about the Unforgiveable Curses?' he asked.

'To teach them about the curses? Yes. However, I taught James the finer points of casting the spells of my own accord, without the knowledge or consent of the other faculty members at Hogwarts.'

Crouch pursed his lips. 'And did you keep it secret for fear that Professor Dumbledore would forbid it?' he asked.

'Correct,' Madam Bones said. 'Professor Dumbledore was not aware that I had provided James with these instructions until the evening of June the 30th, when I both told him about it and resigned my position as Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts.'

James felt his stomach sink. He had cost Madam Bones her job.

There was murmuring amongst the members of the Wizengamot. 'Instructing others on the finer points of the Unforgiveable Curses is not a crime,' Crouch said firmly. 'But I think it was germane to the case to as why, Madam Bones. Why did you see fit to teach James Potter how to perform the Unforgiveable Curses?'

'Esteemed members of the Wizengamot,' Bones said clearly. 'We are approaching a state of open warfare with the man who calls himself Lord Voldemort. The time will soon come when we will have to draw arms against the sea of troubles that is rapidly approaching us. If we are to have any hope of winning in the coming conflict, we must be prepared to be every bit as ruthless, deadly and formidable as our opponents will be. I saw this scenario unfolding for Mr. Potter. He, being 13 years old at the time, was going to be thrust into a situation where he was going to have to duel for his life against one of the most formidable Dark Wizards the world has ever seen.

'There is a Muggle phrase which I find to be appropriate here,' Bones went on. 'If Potter had gone into that battle with Rochefort with only what he had learned through the approved academic guidelines at his school, it would have been akin to bringing a knife to a gunfight. I sought to level the playing field, to give Potter a chance to cast the same spells that he was going to be having cast against him. In my estimation, it was his only chance. And given that he was able to grievously wound Rochefort for long enough for help to arrive, I would say that it succeeded in giving him that chance.

'I will go one step further here as well,' Madam Bones said, opening her arms in a passive gesture. 'That the Wizengamot should deeply consider a recommendation to the Ministry of Magic to allow for the use of Unforgiveable Curses by members of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.'

There was murmuring amongst the Wizengamot once more. Again, however, Crouch looked unsurprised. 'And why should this be done?' asked an old witch.

'Because every day, we are fighting evil, and we are doing so at a handicap. We are duelling an enemy that fights to kill, where as we fight to subdue—to capture. I would urge you to allow them to shake off those chains so that we may have an even fighting chance.'

Crouch nodded. 'Thank you Madam Bones, that will be all,' he said, shifting his gaze. 'Alastor Moody. You are the only witness who has yet to speak. Is there anything you wish to say?'

Moody shifted on his feet. 'I think Bones is right. I think Potter did well. I think Engelland would have said the same. You should let Potter go, and you should consider what Bones asked.'

Short and to the point, Moody went back to standing there with his arms crossed and scowling. James saw a few intimidated looks on the faces of Wizengamot. Crouch scrutinized him for a moment. 'Very well,' he said. 'The presentations are complete—the Wizengamot will now confer on the matter.'

The members of the Wizengamot began to talk amongst themselves. James bit his lip and looked at Madam Bones. 'I'm so sorry,' he said quietly.

'Whatever for?' Bones replied. Even in a whisper, her voice seemed to boom back at him.

'For costing you your job,' James said.

Bones smiled. 'You cost me nothing, Potter. As one door closes, another opens.'

On that cryptic note, she went back to scrutinizing the Wizengamot. Dumbledore stepped over to James. 'A well worded and well thought out statement, James. Commendable,' he said with a smile. 'I regret that we were unable to speak over the course of the summer, but in light of your considerable injuries on June 30th, you look very well.'

'Er…thanks,' James said. 'And thanks for standing up for me.'

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. 'There are few things in life that carry a zero degree of difficulty, James. Speaking on your behalf is one of those few.'

James felt his cheeks flush at the high praise from Dumbledore. He looked over to the audience again where Sirius, Remus and Peter were waiting intently. James waved at them and they gave him a thumbs up. James looked up to Lily who seemed to be chewing her nails in suspense. She quickly stopped when she saw James looking at her and smiled tentatively.

The Wizengamot took ten minutes to discuss the matter. Finally, Crouch banged his gavel. 'Mr. Potter, please come forward,' he said.

James took a deep breath and stepped forward, away from Bones, Dumbledore and Moody to stand alone before the Wizengamot. He did his best to focus only on the face of Bartemius Crouch, so it would seem like only one person was staring down at him as opposed to fifty. 'The laws put in place by the Ministry of Magic are for the protection of wizards everywhere. Disregard for the rules that are in place for everyone to follow is not conduct that we at the Wizengamot find becoming of a young wizard. Do I make myself understood?'

'Yes, sir,' James said.

Crouch stared at him, and his face seemed to soften. 'But there are times where rules can be bent, broken or re-written. This is the role of the Wizengamot, and in light of the situation you found yourself in we—that is to say, the Wizengamot—find your actions commendable.'

James held his breath.

'The charges against you relating to your actions of June the 30th have been dropped and expunged from your record,' Crouch said. 'You are free to go.'


	3. Parties and Predictions

3

Things seemed to pass in a blur for James. In the moments after Crouch's statement, he had been promptly swarmed by his throngs of supporters. Sirius had lead the charge, tackling James in the center of the courtroom and starting an impromptu dog pile. Everyone had wanted to shake his hand, give him a hug, or tell them how they had been confident all along that he would get off. "Untouchable Potter", Sirius declared exceedingly loudly as Dolores Umbridge walked past. She turned an acid glare on him to which he glared arrogantly back until Mr. Potter tugged him away.

James had been picked up from behind and crushed with a hug. For a moment, he thought Hagrid had waded over – but it turned out to be Dorcas Meadowes, who had travelled in from Northern England for his hearing. Dirk Cresswell was there too, the two graduates admonishing James for giving them a scare but elated that he had gotten off at the same time.

Gideon and Fabian Prewett had instantly declared that a party would be held in James' honour and they began hastily deciding where to hold it. Mary McDonald excitedly told James how she knew he was going to walk free and that she was 'looking forward to the party' to spend some time with him. Frank Longbottom and Alice Dearborn joked that they now had no excuse not to allow him onto the Quidditch team at Hogwarts. Edgar Bones told James that he and Madam Bones may have just effected the first change in Ministerial policy with respect to the Unforgiveable Curses in over a hundred years.

Madam Bones had waited for long enough to tell James that she had not been forced out of Hogwarts by Dumbledore, quite the contrary – she had voluntarily resigned as she had been offered a position within the Department of Magical Law Enforcement by Bartemius Crouch himself, one she had accepted and stated allowed her 'the best chance to make a difference against Voldemort'. Dumbledore had congratulated James on his acquittal but was unable to stay to answer questions about the post of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, as he had to return to the school to tend to matters there.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter had solved the problem of where to hold a celebration for James by volunteering their own house. The Floo Network went into overdrive as the supporters all crowded into the Potter House in Godric's Hollow. Mrs. Potter spun a fancy bit of magic to expand the living room to the size of a ball room, and the Twins somehow managed to arrive with cases of Butterbeer (and fire whiskey, which they managed to keep out of view of James' parents and the other assorted adults)

One person had not come along to the party, and no one had seen her leave – and that was Lily Evans. James was momentarily crest fallen at the news, but Sirius said the fact that she had shown up and wished him luck couldn't be anything other than a good thing. James had to agree with this and put off his speculation on why she had departed without saying goodbye or congratulations.

The party, as good parties are wont to do, was in the progress of going well into the night. James was involved in something of a bizarre game of hide and seek with Mary McDonald, who was scouring the party with a bottle of fire whiskey, looking for him. Evidently, the summer had not dulled her affection for him. Sirius, Remus and Peter seemed content to watch this song and dance for a while, but they finally escaped with James up the stairs to his room.

'Good party,' Remus observed, somewhat pink faced. Apparently he had indulged in a bit of fire whiskey himself. Peter hiccoughed his agreement, confirming he had done the same.

James chuckled. 'I was having trouble thinking of anything happy just this morning,' he said. 'And now it feels like I've had this enormous weight lifted off my shoulders.'

'I can only imagine,' Sirius muttered. 'At least we didn't have to go to Plan B.'

James raised an eyebrow. 'What was Plan B?'

'It was pretty crude and rough,' Remus said in something of a slur. 'We were going to blast our way out of the Ministry and go on the lamb with you.'

James laughed. 'You're kidding, right?'

'Certainly not,' Sirius said. 'Our rucksacks are still packed at Peter's place.'

James shook his head, a swell of affection rising within him for his friends. 'You really are the best friends in the world. You three do know that, don't you?' he asked.

'Marauders always have each other's back,' Peter hiccoughed.

James pulled Sirius into a rough embrace and extended an arm to catch Remus. He joined in the hug and Peter did as well. They stood there, swaying for a moment as James revelled in the company of his friends, the first company he had had apart from his parents over the whole summer. 'We should get back downstairs,' James said at last, breaking the hug. 'I don't want to deny Marlene the chance to drunkenly slobber all over you,' he added.

Sirius cleared his throat. 'Yeah, about that,' he muttered.

'What?' Remus asked.

Sirius grimaced. 'We aren't going out anymore,' he said.

Peter's mouth fell open. 'Since when?'

'I don't know, about a month ago?' Sirius said.

'You kept that one quiet!' Remus said.

Sirius shrugged. 'Well, we had kind of a lot going on with James, it didn't seem important.'

'How did it happen? Why did she dump you?' Peter asked quickly.

Sirius scowled. 'What makes you think SHE dumped ME?' he said defensively.

'You dumped her?' Remus asked incredulously.

'Well, no,' Sirius admitted and James fought off a mad urge to laugh. 'I don't know, she said some nonsense about there being plenty of fish in the sea, playing the field or something like that.'

Remus looked thoroughly amazed. 'Playing the field?' he mouthed.

'Are you alright?' James asked.

'Course I am,' Sirius said. 'I'm a free agent.

James laughed. 'Well, keep that thought in mind, then. I might use you as a human shield from Mary McDonald.'

Remus nodded sagely. 'Be careful what you drink. It wouldn't surprise me if she spiked everything within reach in the hopes you might drink a bit,' he chuckled

'Duly noted,' James replied.

They made their way back into the crowd downstairs where things seemed to be in full swing. The Twins were singing a remarkably bad version of 'Odo the Hero', which was causing fits of laughter amongst the other guests. Remus fell into avid discussion with Edgar Bones while Peter set off in search of more butterbeer.

'So what happened?' James asked.

'What happened with what?' Sirius replied off handedly.

James cuffed him on the shoulder. 'You and Marlene,' he said. 'She seemed pretty into you last year. Not really the type to 'play the field',' he said meaningfully.

Sirius looked uncomfortable. 'Well,' he muttered. 'It may not have gone down exactly like that.'

'Talk to me, Sirius,' James said.

Sirius sighed. 'Well we – we had a bit of a tiff,' he said lamely.

James frowned. 'A tiff?'

'About you,' Sirius added with a slightly apologetic look.

James was taken aback. His mind raced through several possible scenarios as to what they could possibly fought over him about, and he decided to settle on what he felt was the most likely. 'Did she…disagree with what I did?' he asked.

'No, no,' Sirius said quickly, waving his hands dismissively. 'She was right on side with you on that. Wishes it had done the job, too,' he added. 'You did good, though,' he added once more upon seeing the look on James' face. 'It's just – well – I don't know, she wanted more 'alone time' with me. Said it felt like I was always off gallivanting around with you lot and leaving her behind.'

'Wow,' James said.

Sirius shrugged. 'I couldn't really deny it,' he said. 'It IS true.'

'So…you DID dump her?'

'No, there was no dumping,' Sirius muttered. 'She understands we're like family, she just doesn't think she'll ever be able to compete with that. I said I really cared about her but that she was right, you're my family. We agreed to be just friends.'

James raised his eyebrows. 'That's mature of you,' he said.

'Yup,' Sirius said happily. 'I'm confident I did the right thi….' He trailed off, staring at something across the room. James followed his gaze in time to see what he was looking at. There was Marlene McKinnon, wrapped in a passionate embrace in the corner of the room with a boy in his fifth year who James was fairly certain was named Davey Gudgeon.

Instinctively, James reached out to grab Sirius, and it turned out to be the right move. Sirius was marching across the room, and James had to dig his heels in and grind him to a halt.

'Geroff – let go – ' Sirius was grunting.

Remus appeared in front of him. 'What's going on?' he asked.

'Marlene,' James hissed.

'Let me go, I don't want to fight him, I just want to tear his face off – ' Sirius was snarling.

Remus placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder. 'Calm down,' he said. 'Remember who's house we're in.'

The words had the unexpected effect of calming Sirius down instantly. 'Sorry,' he said, tugging free of James who let him go tentatively. 'I don't want to wreck your house,' he muttered. He hurled another ugly look at the kissing couple. 'He'd better have his head on a swivel once we go to the school though,' he said darkly.

'You two aren't together anymore,' Remus said in that annoyingly calm voice he always seemed to have when he was right. 'She is perfectly entitled to snog whoever she wishes.'

'That's a little quick though, isn't it?' Sirius demanded.

'It's been a month. How long did you expect her to be mourning over you?' Remus said, now looking thoroughly amused.

Sirius threw his hands up in the year. 'I don't know, I just didn't think I'd be that easily replaceable,' he muttered.

James clapped a hand onto his back. 'Let's go get a butterbeer,' he suggested and they turned around. James groaned inwardly as he found Mary McDonald standing before them. 'Alright, Mary?' James said in what he hoped was a bright tone.

'This is a great party, James,' she gushed. 'Do you feel like a drink to celebrate?'

'Certainly,' James said. 'Sirius and I were just about to grab one.'

'I could get it for you,' she offered.

James cleared his throat. 'Why don't you take Sirius with you? He can help. He's friendly, charming, newly available…' James shoved Sirius forward, who cast a dark look back at him. 'Human shield,' James hissed as the two of them walked off. James quickly stepped into the kitchen where the noise was not quite so thick.

'Good party?' his father asked with a smirk from the kitchen table where he was reading what appeared to be a special edition of the Daily Prophet. James could just make out the headline – 'UNTOUCHABLE POTTER WALKS'. Mr. Potter glanced at the front page as well. 'Quite the new nickname they've given you,' he said.

James chuckled. 'I'll try not to let it go to my head,' he said.

'Everything alright? I thought we'd need a stick of dynamite to separate you from your friends today,' Mr. Potter observed. 'It's been so long since you've seen them. 'In person, anyway.'

James froze. His father's eyes twinkled, but he said no more. The implication was clear though – Mr. Potter knew about James' magic mirror. James laughed. 'Sirius just – er – running interference for me at the moment.'

'On Mary McDonald?' his father asked and James laughed again. He had to remind himself that his father had made a very good living in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for a number of years. 'She seems very interested in you.'

'Well, I am very interesting,' James replied.

It was Mr. Potter's turn to laugh. 'And modest,' he observed. 'Remus mentioned that you might be put out because a certain red haired young lady didn't attend the party.'

'Remus mentioned that, did he?' James muttered, making a mental note to smack him.

'Not trying to pry,' Mr. Potter said. 'I just wanted to make sure you were alright.'

'Oh, I'm fine,' James replied. 'Like I said, just needed to duck away from Mary for a moment. I'll be getting back in there now. Where's Mum, anyway?' James asked.

'Bustling around like a house elf,' Mr. Potter said. 'No need, really – I already cast imperturbable charms on the furniture, carpets and the like, but she likes to feel busy I guess.'

James laughed as he looked at his father. For a moment, it seemed like he was looking at him for the first time all summer. He looked older; the lines on his face had deepened, he looked thinner than he had before the whole ordeal had began, and his hair was certainly whiter. But he still had the same knowing smile that James knew frequented his own face often.

He walked across the room and embraced his father who hugged him back, and they stood there for a moment. 'I'm glad I'm not going to Azkaban for life,' James said thickly.

Mr. Potter chuckled. 'James, do you really think we would have let that happen?'

James pulled away to look at his father with a quizzical expression. 'What do you mean?' he asked.

'Your friends aren't the only ones who think of Plan Bs,' Mr. Potter said with a smirk. 'Now get back to your party, and keep an eye out for your mother,' he added as he went back to his paper.

James chuckled to himself as he walked back into the living room. He found himself standing next to Frank Longbottom who grinned at him sheepishly. 'I just danced with Alice,' he said. 'I was awful.'

'I'm sure you were,' James quipped and Frank playfully shoved him.

'Dorcas says the press is already having a field day with the fact that you got off. You're going to be a pretty hot topic of conversation for the next little while,' Frank said.

'Good. I don't think I got enough attention last year,' James said with a smile as Alice Dearborn strolled over. 'Alright, Dearborn?' he asked.

'Lily sends her best,' Alice said, and James' heart leapt. 'She would have liked to have come, but it seemed that she'd be risking certain death if she had stayed away from home any longer.'

'Certain death from who? Snape?' James asked.

Alice shook her head, making an ugly face. 'I don't think he's in her good books right now,' she said. At James quizzical look, Alice smirked. 'I'm sure you read what Snape had to say to the Daily Prophet about you. Let's just say she was…displeased.'

'Oh come on, Dearborn,' James begged. 'You have to give me more than that!'

Alice chuckled. 'Maybe she'll tell you some day,' she said brightly. 'But if you think you've seen her in a rage, I'd say think again.'

Frank took a sip of a butterbeer. 'Who threatened her with certain death then?' he asked.

'Her parents,' Alice said with a sigh. 'Somehow, they got wind of all that's going on in the wizarding world. Lily says they're in a right state about her safety, and she had a lot of fights with them over the summer about whether it was too dangerous to go back to Hogwarts or not.'

James' jaw dropped a little. 'So what did they settle on?' he asked hollowly.

'Oh, she'll be coming back, I think. Managed to convince them she's safer under Dumbledore's nose than anywhere else. But I think she broke curfew to come see your trial.'

James felt bad for this, but also felt simultaneously heartened. Lily had broken the rules to see him in court, and she was also furious with Snape. His awful summer had suddenly turned immensely brighter in the span of only one day.

'We're doing fine, by the way,' Frank said with a smile, interrupting James' reverie.

'Oh bollocks, I'm sorry you two,' James muttered, pulling them into a hug. 'It's just – have you ever felt like a whole lot of time has passed, but none has at the same time?'

Frank looked at Alice with a wide smile. 'Sure do,' he said.

'That's what this summer feels like. Only this morning I was trying to remember what your faces all looked like, and now here I am, and it feels like the last two months never happened,' James said with a shake of his head. 'It was pretty hard to stay upbeat, but now it all feels kind of like a bad dream.'

Frank nodded sagely. 'I can only imagine,' he said. 'But I don't think anyone in the world – anyone with their head on straight, anyway – can say you didn't do the right thing.'

'Here here,' Alice chimed in.

James smiled at his friends. 'I missed you all so much,' he said, looking out at the party again. 'I have a feeling this is going to be a good year.


	4. Rust and Rumors

4

The next week passed in no time at all. Being it was near the end of August, and thusly close to the start of the school year, James had an awful lot to do in not a great deal of time. He had never left his school supply shopping at Diagon Alley until this late in the summer, so it was a very different feeling when he, Sirius, Remus and Peter showed up to buy his supplies in a not-overly-busy setting. The other three had got theirs ('Important to keep up the illusion that we were planning to go to school even if you went to prison,' Sirius had remarked) but they all accompanied James.

The Marauders stayed at the Potter House for the duration of the holiday, having their supplies sent over by their families. The night before they were due to board the train, they sat up late practicing something they had neglected all summer – their long lasting ambition to become Animagi. During their second year, they had discovered that Remus was afflicted with lycanthropy, forcing him to transform into a werewolf once a month during the full moon. As werewolves were not a danger to animals, the other three had – in deep secret, given the illegality of their plan – started practicing to become Animagi.

The previous year had been filled with breakthroughs. Sirius had grown thick black hair all over his body (which James had been forced to shave off). Sirius was even more chagrined when James both sprouted thin brown hair of his own, and managed to make it disappear again. Once they had gotten to school, the progress had continued. Sirius had managed to grow a rather hideous, hairless tail. It took considerable effort for him to retract it inward once again. James was not far behind, growing two rather large bumps on his head. Peter was most alarmed when his nose grew outward by three inches – that took the longest to undo.

'I feel rusty,' James muttered as he tried to remember the non-verbal incantations while simultaneously wiping his mind blank.

'It probably doesn't help that we're doing this the night before returning to school,' Remus observed without looking up from the book. 'I know I'd be too excited to keep my mind blank.'

Peter looked over at him. 'What are you most excited for?'

'This is the last year before OWLs start,' Remus said with an oddly dreamy expression. 'I've got to pick the right courses to carry on with through school. Undoubtedly my career options will be limited as it is, so I need to keep as many doors open as I can through good grades.'

Sirius frowned. 'Why won't you have many options?'

Remus chuckled bitterly. 'You know how my kind are regarded,' he said warily.

'Only because people can be so woefully thick,' James snorted.

Remus smiled. 'Perhaps,' he said.

'You're mental,' Sirius declared, changing the subject somewhat. 'Of all the things to be excited over, you choose the bloody school work.'

'Well, it IS the whole reason that we're going to school in the first place,' Remus pointed out.

Sirius shook his head as he hopped to his feet. 'Alright, I'm going to give it a shot.'

'Good, I'm taking a break,' James panted. He sat down on the floor and watched as Sirius had a most peculiar expression on his face, equal parts concentration and relaxation. 'Wonder what we'd call that face?'

'Ambivalence,' Remus said quietly from his book. 'Feeling two separate emotions at onnnyaaaaaRRRGH!'

They had all jumped to their feet at once. Sirius had changed before their eyes. His ears had elongated and dropped down on either side of his face like a demented cartoon. His tongue suddenly appeared to be too big for his mouth and hung out between his lips. Peter had the best view of his backside, where a long, black, hairy tail had emerged from his trousers. 'What ith it?' Sirius said in a strongly lisping tone. He seemed to realize his tongue was different and felt it with his hands. 'Whatth thith?'

'You look – you look – you look like a…' Peter stammered.

'You look really good,' James grimaced.

'Mirror?' Sirius lisped again.

James fished in his bag for his magic two-way mirror and showed it to Sirius. He half expected him to yell out in terror, but was surprised instead when he barked with laughter – the bark sounding decidedly more doglike than it ever had before. 'Wicked,' he said. 'Now how do I fixth mythelf?'

'Er…concentrate, I guess,' Remus said.

They watched intensely as Sirius worked hard to undo his partial transformation. After only a few minutes, he was able to revert back into his normal self. Peter clapped animatedly. 'That was brilliant!' he said happily.

'The best yet,' Remus declared.

Sirius shook his long hair out of his eyes and grinned. 'Well of course it was,' he said very immodestly.

'So how did you do it?'

Sirius' cheeks suddenly went pink. 'Uh—you know. Wiping your mind blank and concentrating, that sort of thing.'

James had a sneaking suspicion he knew why Sirius was acting embarrassed. James had made perhaps his best progress at any point when his mind had drifted to by far his favourite memory with Lily Evans – the moment where she had given him a hug after he had given her a stuffed toy for Christmas during the last year. Given the nature of Sirius' relationship with Marlene McKinnon over the last year, James was not altogether sure he wanted to know where his friend's mind had drifted to.

'It's definitely a starting point,' Remus was saying. 'I'm impressed. It's rare for someone to become an Animagus, but all three of you have managed to at least scratch the surface on this.'

James grinned goofily. 'Never underestimate the Marauders,' he declared.

'Speaking of which,' Sirius said airily, raising his eyebrows.

'What?' James asked in confusion.

'How do we top the last two years?' Sirius asked excitedly.

Remus looked wary. 'In what way…?' he asked.

'Pranks!' Sirius declared. 'Come on, there's still plenty of Slytherins to get! I've been wanting a piece of Snivellus all summer, I was actually hoping he'd show up at your hearing…' and Sirius was off, ranting about Snape's comments in the Daily Prophet. James, Sirius and Peter listened with some amusement as Sirius viscerally described the things he would like to do to his least favourite Hogwarts attendee. '…at least Evans seems to have wizened up to his act, though,' Sirius finished maliciously.

Remus chuckled. 'You've grown older but not wiser, Sirius,' he muttered.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Oh grow up, Dad,' he muttered. 'Am I supposed to forget that Snivelly was saying whatever he could to the Prophet to make James look bad?'

'Well, no,' Remus said with a frown.

'What if his comments had landed James in Azkaban?' Sirius asked heatedly.

Remus sighed and hid behind his book again. 'Point taken,' he murmured in an embarrassed tone with an apologetic look at James.

'No one's forgetting anything,' James declared. 'At the moment, however, I think letting old Snivelly stew in Evans' bad books is punishment enough. For the moment,' he added when Sirius opened his mouth to protest. 'The year is long, mate. There'll be plenty of time to make him pay. On the Quidditch Pitch, too,' he added.

Peter looked suddenly thoughtful. 'Who do you think is going to be Captain of the team this year?' he asked.

James pursed his lips. He had been admittedly disappointed when his Hogwarts letter had arrived. He had half-hoped to find the Captain's emblem inside of it, but Sirius had laughingly pointed out that he had caused too much trouble. While true, James had always felt that the one area he had excelled as a leader had been on the Quidditch Pitch. 'I don't know,' he said after a moment. 'Maybe one of Gideon or Fabian?'

'Not unless McGonagall wants the Pitch burnt down,' Remus chuckled.

'I still think it should have been you,' Peter said earnestly.

James cracked his confident grin. 'Ah well, gives me all the more time to focus on being the best player on the team,' he said whilst puffing out his chest importantly.

'And more time to study,' Remus observed.

'What a buzz kill,' Sirius muttered.

The following morning, they ate a quick breakfast and left for London. They took the Floo Network to the Ministry of Magic before hopping into a Ministry car that was waiting. James was somewhat annoyed to find he was still under constant watch wherever he went – although they seemed to be going to a bit more effort to hide themselves this go-round. He had only spotted Alastor Moody because of the rather obvious black patch over the spot where Gilles Rochefort had blasted out his eye in June.

'It's important you remain safe,' Mr. Potter had said firmly when James had pointed this out. 'It's also important that we be ready for an ambush at any time.'

Sirius looked around. 'Have you heard anything about Rochefort since June?' he asked.

'Should we really be talking about this?' Mrs. Potter asked in a slightly exasperated tone.

'If there's anything new, I want to know,' James said firmly.

Mr. Potter chuckled. 'Nothing new to report, really. We haven't heard a peep about Rochefort. Voldemort is a slightly different story.'

James looked at his father who looked momentarily worried. Brushing aside the fact that nothing had been heard about Rochefort, James pressed on. 'What's going on with Voldemort?' he asked, ignoring a little whimper from Peter at the repeated mentions of his name.

'I don't think that's suitable for discussion right now,' Mrs. Potter said sternly, cutting off her husband who had been about to speak. 'Anyway, you'll be late for the train.'

'But it doesn't leave for ten minutes,' James protested.

'On, I said,' Mrs. Potter said giving him a kiss on the cheek. She bestowed hugs upon Sirius, Remus and Peter as well before Mr. Potter shook their hands. They were about to turn and leave when Mr. Potter cleared his throat. They turned to see him withdrawing the antiquated camera from within his travelling cloak, and they all groaned as one. 'Enough of that. Smile nicely, now,' Mrs. Potter said.

The four of them grouped together. James ran a hand through his hair idly and mussed it up as the bright flash momentarily blinded them. 'Listen to your teachers, watch out for Peeves, and try not to get into too much trouble,' Mr. Potter said as they turned and walked away.

'So what do you suppose that was about?' Sirius asked in a hushed voice.

Remus glanced back at James' parents as they boarded the train. 'Something that had them worried,' he said. 'But not worried enough to tell James.'

'So what does that mean?' Sirius asked.

'Well, hopefully it means there isn't some new plot afoot to snuff you,' Remus said with a small smile at James who chuckled. 'But it definitely means something is up.'

James made his way down the hallway of the train past several filled compartments. 'Well, whatever it is hasn't been in the news,' he muttered darkly. 'I read the Daily Prophet cover-to-cover every day this summer and there was barely a peep about Voldemort. Most of it was focused on me.'

'Could be that they're trying to keep everyone calm,' Remus said.

'Or distracted,' Sirius added darkly from behind James. James peered into the next compartment and stopped short, causing Sirius to crash into his back. 'Oi!' he said.

James turned around. 'Let's go back this way,' he said in a falsely bright voice.

'Why? We've come all this way, we know the other compartments are full,' Sirius said, pushing past James who did his best to obstruct his friend, but ultimately failed. Sirius glanced into the compartment behind James and his jaw immediately clenched. Wrapped in a passionate embrace were Marlene McKinnon and Davey Gudgeon. Marlene's eyes opened and she saw Sirius, which caused her to suddenly withdraw from Davey.

'Hullo,' Marlene said breathlessly. Davey turned and smiled bashfully at them. 'Er – this is Davey. Davey Gudgeon. Davey, this is…' she began.

'Oh, I know these four,' Davey said in a friendly voice as he stood up and extended his hand. 'Legends round the school, you are. Of course that's all off the record,' he added with a wink as James shook his hand. Sirius remained stock still.

'Yes, well,' James added as he noticed Sirius' face was turning slightly red. 'We'd best be off to find a seat before they're all taken, right Sirius?' he said, elbowing him in the ribs.

Remus joined in, grabbing Sirius by the arm and steering him away. 'See you at school,' he called brightly back to Davey and Marlene as they finally found an empty compartment and sat down. Sirius flopped into the seat by the window and looked out of it gloomily. Remus pursed his lips. 'Well, he seemed nice,' he said slowly. James grimaced.

'He seemed like a git! Getting up and trying to shake my hand, what's that supposed to be?' Sirius said irritably.

'You're right, it was tremendously offensive. How dare he,' Remus deadpanned.

'Whose side are you on, Moony?' Sirius asked hotly.

Remus sighed as he sat down. 'Yours of course, but you two did break up. It's not as if you have some sort of claim to her. You said yourself, you're a free agent – well, so's she.'

'I hate having my life explained to me every step of the way, you know,' Sirius muttered miserably as he buried his head in his hands.

Remus' face softened. 'Sorry. Sometimes I can't seem to help myself,' he said and without further word, he buried his face in one of his new textbooks. Peter seemed to be staring resolutely at a spot on the wall, fearful for saying anything out of turn. James glanced at all three of his compatriots and stood up.

'Where are you going?' Sirius asked.

'To see if I can find Evans,' James said brightly. He opened the compartment door and stopped dead – Lily Evans was standing right there.

'Do you have room for one more?' she asked with a small smile.


	5. Embraces and Bodies

5

James' heart flip flopped within his chest, giving him that familiar sensation as it leapt up into his throat to shake hands with his tonsils. He had not seen Lily up close for two months – her flaming red hair fell in that same natural, wavy way to encapsulate her face. Her bright green eyes sparkled at him above a smirking yet timid facial expression that she wore.

'Actually, I think these compartments only seat four…' Sirius began.

'Which is why its fortunate that the three of us were just about to go for a stroll,' Remus cut in forcefully, standing up. Peter caught on right away, but Sirius goggled at him in confusion. 'Come on, Sirius, you were just saying that you wanted to get some air.'

Sirius' frown deepened. 'But I've only just sat…' he began, but Remus grabbed him by the ear and hauled him out the door in spite of Sirius' loud protestations. Peter waved meekly at Lily as he followed them out and they strode off down the corridor, casting furtive glances back at James and Lily as they went.

James found his voice. 'So, ah – the answer to your question would be yes, of course there's room for one more,' he said with a smile as Lily stepped in and sat down. She was already dressed in her Hogwarts robes and was clutching a book neatly in front of her. James noticed it was the Advanced Charms book for their year. 'Looking forward to Charms?' he said.

'The book's a bit of a giveaway, isn't it?' Lily said.

James chuckled as he sat down opposite her. 'Well, the fact that it's your best subject hasn't slipped my notice either.'

Lily cocked an eyebrow. 'How do you know it's my best subject?' she asked.

'Are you telling me it isn't?' James replied.

She laughed in spite of herself. 'Well, no,' she said and James smiled triumphantly. 'Well, I bet I can guess your best class!' she said defensively.

'Go on then, let's see your sleuthing skills at work,' James replied.

Lily pretended to study him at great length. 'Defense against the Dark Arts,' she said after a moment.

James clicked his tongue. 'Sorry, but thanks for playing,' he said.

'It is so your best class!' Lily declared.

James shook his head. 'Professor McGonagall would beg to differ,' he declared.

'Transfiguration? Really?' Lily asked, sounding genuinely surprised. She seemed to be sizing James up for a moment and then she shook her head. 'You're full of surprises, Potter,' she said as she glanced out the window at the passing countryside.

'Hopefully some of them are good surprises,' James quipped.

Lily smiled, but it was fainter now. She kept her gaze on the window. 'I don't know what to do about you,' she said quietly.

'What do you mean 'about me'?' James asked.

She looked at him. 'Part of me wants to hug you and not let go,' she said quickly, staring down at the floor as her cheeks went red. This comment made James' eyebrows shoot up across his forehead. They had definitely not been words he had anticipated coming from Lily's mouth any time soon. 'The other part of me wants to wrap my hands around your throat and never let go.'

James laughed in spite of himself. 'Would it be obvious of me to say I preferred the first option?'

'You nearly died,' Lily said seriously.

'True, but I didn't,' James replied.

'You almost got sent to Azkaban!'

'True, but I didn't,' James said, smirking now.

Lily sighed in exasperation. 'Do you ever wonder if you're too confident for your own good?' she muttered as she rubbed the bridge of her nose as if experiencing a bad headache.

'Frequently,' James said. 'But it beats the alternative, doesn't it?' Lily raised an eyebrow. 'Oh come on,' he said. 'If it makes you feel better, I certainly wasn't feeling confident over the summer.'

Lily's face softened. 'It must have been hard,' she said.

'It was,' James replied dully. 'Being cooped up all summer, not being allowed to talk to anyone…'

'It must have been hard not to talk to Sirius. You two are attached at the hip,' Lily observed.

James waved a hand. 'We figured that out ages ago. We've been in contact all summer.'

Lily's jaw dropped. 'How? You were under house arrest!'

James laughed. 'I work in mysterious ways, Evans,' he said with a smile. 'But even then, our chats were few, far in between and had to be carefully planned to avoid detection. It was nice to finally see people in person again at my hearing.'

'I still can't believe you got away with breaking house arrest right under the ministry's nose,' Lily said. James couldn't tell if her tone was disapproving or impressed.

James cleared his throat. 'So where does this leave us?' he asked.

'What do you mean?' Lily asked.

'Well, you said you were of two minds on what to do about me,' James said slowly. 'Might this have something to do with some choice words sent to the Daily Prophet by a mutual acquaintance?'

Lily's face darkened. 'You saw that, did you?' she asked.

'I didn't have much else to do,' James deadpanned.

Lily sighed, staring out the window again. 'That's the closest I've come to hexing someone. Other than you, that is,' she said with a sly sidelong glance at James. 'I was—I am—really angry with him. He certainly didn't help your chances.'

James bit his lip. He wanted to choose his words carefully. 'Well, here I am,' he said. 'No harm done.'

'Are you saying I should forgive him?' Lily asked in surprise.

'Merlin's beard, no,' James laughed. 'Look, Snape and I will never be bosom mates. But if you can believe this, I care more about you being happy then I do about fighting with him. I don't want to see you miserable.'

Lily blinked. 'What makes you think I'm miserable?' she asked.

'The Lily Evans I've known by the fireside for the past few years cares deeply for her best friend,' James said. 'I know it must be hard.'

'Wasn't it hard for you to read that?' she asked.

James nodded. 'Of course. There were nights that I didn't even sleep because I was worrying that I'd be sent to Azkaban, and those comments weren't helpful. He had at least one member of the Wizengamot convinced,' he added.

'That Umbridge woman,' Lily said the name as if it were a swear word. 'I had half a mind…' she trailed off, but the look on her face left James to delightfully imagine the site of Lily hexing Dolores Umbridge into the middle of next year. 'I haven't spoken to him for a while.'

'I'm sorry,' James said simply.

Lily snorted softly. 'Of course you are,' she muttered. 'It's not for a lack of trying on his part. He practically camped out on my doorstep every day. He actually did write me letters every day.'

'What did he have to say?' James asked, although he felt he knew the answer.

'The same thing you just did,' Lily replied. 'That just because he can't stand you doesn't mean he doesn't care about me. I've said it before, but it bears repeating…you two can be so alike.'

James pursed his lips. 'I'm sure things will work out for the best with you two. I guess it would be foolishly optimistic to say that this means we could be friends?' he said.

Lily smiled faintly. 'I think our relationship is more complicated than being friends or not,' she said.

'Are you referring to when you tried to kiss me?' James asked innocently.

The reaction was immediate and expected. Lily's cheeks flushed to a deep crimson color. 'I—that was—I didn't—I did not try to kiss you!' she stammered.

'Really? I'd love to hear what you were trying to do then,' James said with a laugh.

Lily buried her face in her hands. 'You're not going to let me live this down, are you,' she groaned.

James surveyed her. 'Maybe, maybe not,' he said. 'But come on…don't I have you leaning towards the hugging option? Rather than strangulation?'

Lily laughed lightly. 'You frequently have me bouncing between the two options,' she said. Her face grew serious again. 'What happened in June?' she asked.

James' smile fell off his face. 'You heard me at the inquiry,' he said quietly.

'That wasn't just a summary?' she asked.

James hesitated. 'A bit,' he admitted. 'But what else is there to say? He ambushed me. He…murdered Engelland. And he told me he was going to murder me. He damn near did, too,' he added.

'You were badly hurt,' Lily said.

'That's an understatement,' James muttered. 'He was certainly enjoying himself. Not just with his wand, either. He really seemed to get off on beating me with his hands and feet,' he said, rubbing his chest absentmindedly where Rochefort had broken his ribs. 'And then he basically invited me to cast a spell at him, to go ahead and show him the best that I'd learned at Hogwarts. And that's when I did it.'

'Cast the killing curse,' Lily whispered.

James nodded. 'I only wish it had worked,' he said darkly. 'And now there hasn't been any reports whatsoever of what he's doing.'

'True,' Lily said. 'But it's not hard to figure out what the other Death Eaters are up to,' she said conversationally. James looked at her in confusion and she smiled grimly. 'You only get the Wizarding news at your house, don't you?' she asked.

'Why? What's happened?' James asked.

Lily sighed. 'Well, you know how Voldemort and his cronies – Lucius Malfoy, for instance – feel about muggles and 'mudbloods',' she said angrily. 'Well, it appears they've taken that one step further. It's all over the news. People being tortured into near insanity, people being killed by no detectable muggle means…' she trailed off.

'Wizards attacking muggles,' James breathed.

Lily nodded. 'I don't know if the Ministry of Magic has even noticed it yet,' she said bitterly. 'They're too focused on the magical community.'

James shook his head. 'They know,' he said. 'My Dad was about to tell me about it on the platform but my Mum made him stop,' he said.

Lily looked somewhat mollified. 'Well, hopefully they keep an eye out for it,' she said. 'The reason I mentioned Lucius Malfoy is because I'm sure I saw his picture drawn up by a sketch artist, wanted for questioning in connection with one of the attacks.'

James ground his teeth. 'That git…' he muttered.

Lily nodded fervently. 'I don't really know what this means,' she said. 'My family went to North America to stay out of harm's way last year. I'm tempted to tell them to do it again.'

'Might not be a bad idea,' James said. 'I could ask my Dad about having some Aurors assigned to them?'

Lily blinked. 'You'd do that?'

'Of course,' James said automatically. 'Why not?'

Lily's mouth worked for a moment and then she stood up, lunging across the booth and hugging James. His arms were wide for a moment before he closed them around her. Her head was buried in his shoulder and his face was in her hair. 'I've been so worried all the time,' she whispered. 'About my family…about you…'

James chuckled. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he said.

'How do you know?'

'Do you really think I'd let myself get killed before getting you to admit that you're just as crazy about me as I am about you?' James said.

Lily laughed and pulled back, sitting down and smirking at him. Her eyes were red. 'Maybe that's just incentive for me to never say a word. Maybe then you'll live forever,' she said coyly.

James smiled. 'Forever can seem like no time at all if you're in good company,' he said. They looked at each other for a moment, when the door opened. James looked up and felt his stomach clench as he saw Severus Snape standing there, looking livid.

'Severus,' Lily said icily.

'Lily…can I have a word?' Snape said slowly, his eyes not leaving James who had not anticipated the feeling of hot fury spreading through his body at the sight of his arch nemesis.

'You can have several. Pick which one of these you like: get out of my sight right now before I remove your tongue along with your toenails,' Lily snapped.

A flash of hurt crossed Snape's face. 'Please,' he breathed.

'When I'm satisfied that you are genuinely remorseful about what you did, Severus,' she said again, the use of his full name seeming to cause Snape to shrink back further, 'then perhaps I will talk to you. But be warned, it will probably just be to yell at you some more!' Lily snarled.

'I don't believe this,' Snape said. 'I answer a question about Potter truthfully, and you not only want to end our friendship, but you immediately go off to consort with HIM?' Snape said.

'I am right here, you know,' James said bitterly.

'It's none of your business who I 'consort' with,' Lily said hotly, standing up now.

'Is there a problem?' came a new voice. James had half-expected it to be Sirius, Remus and Peter returning, but it was Frank Longbottom who stepped into view. 'Hello, Severus – have a good summer?'

Snape looked around at all the parties now staring at him – James and Lily with undisguised loathing, and Frank with cool confidence. Snape seemed about to say something, but he must have thought better of it, because he turned and left. Frank smiled and stepped into full view, Alice Dearborn at his side. 'Top of the morning to you,' Frank said with a grin.

'Nice timing,' James said with a grin as the two of them stepped into the compartment. James almost didn't notice at first, but he did after a moment – the gleaming badge of the Quidditch Captain was adorning the front of Frank's robes. 'OI!' James cried, pointing in delight.

Frank laughed and Alice beamed. 'We wanted to tell you at your party, but Frank thought this would be a better surprise,' she said.

James embraced his friend. 'Well done, mate! And well deserved. The Captain—er, Dorcas—will be proud,' he said.

'I only hope I can be half as good as she was,' Frank said modestly.

'You'll do great,' James said.

Lily shook her head, but she was smiling. 'You lot and your Quidditch,' she said.

Frank's gaze flicked between James and Lily, and a trace of a smile crossed his face before he disguised it with a neutral expression. 'So…talking about school?' he asked.

'Voldemort, actually,' James said.

Frank nodded gravely. 'You're talking about the muggle attacks?' he asked.

Lily looked surprised. 'How do you know about those?' she asked.

'I make it my business to know,' Frank said as he sat down. 'I've also heard the latest news on Rochefort, too.'

James looked at him so fast his neck cracked. 'Not even my Dad has heard anything about him,' he said.

Frank nodded. 'It wasn't easy to come by,' he said. 'It took a fair bit of gold.' He cast an apologetic look at Alice who squeezed his shoulder. 'But you'll be pleased to know you seem to have done him permanent damage.'

'Good,' James said forcefully.

Frank opened his mouth to say more, when the train started to squeal awkwardly. The sound of the brakes met their ears. 'Odd, we aren't due at Hogsmeade for another hour,' Frank said, looking out the window.

'Then why are we stopping?' James asked as voices filled the hallway.

From somewhere up the train, they heard a scream. It was quickly followed by several more, and raised voices all around.

'Wands,' James said, but he didn't have to. Lily, Alice and Frank were already on their feet with their wands out. They stepped into the hallway and James nearly collided with Sirius.

'You alright?' Sirius asked sharply as Remus and Peter came up behind him.

James nodded. 'We're all fine, it came from up ahead…' he said.

'Everyone back in your compartments!' came the voice of one of the prefects from Ravenclaw. 'A teacher will soon be here to get us back on our way. There's no need for alarm, just be calm.'

Some students obeyed, but James and the others stayed where they were. The prefect saw them and bit his lip. 'Come on, you lot, back in.'

'What's happened?' James asked.

The prefect sighed. 'Potter, I shouldn't say,' he said.

'Say it anyway, then,' James said.

The prefect looked at them. 'Follow me, then,' he said quietly. They walked the length of the train until they reached the front. He lead them into the conductor's spot, and James saw the conductor leaning against the wall, drinking from a flask as he breathed heavily. James spotted why a moment later – hanging from a tree not twenty feet in front of the train was a body, hung by its neck and quite obviously dead.

'Oh my God,' Lily breathed from James' side. 'Is that…?' she asked.

'It is,' Alice breathed.

The former Professor Cristobal Mondego swung back and forth in the breeze, and in the sky above him, the Dark Mark stared down at them all.


	6. Pessimism and Optimism

5

Students all over the train were quickly being ushered into their compartments, and it became quickly apparent that they were not alone. Dark-robed Aurors were emerging from what seemed like the walls themselves, wands drawn, and quickly pacing the length of the train.

'We should get to our compartments,' Peter whispered.

James cast a look at Frank who was scanning the outside area through the window. Apart from the swinging corpse of Mondego, there didn't appear to be any movement yet. Not that James could see anyway, but Frank's eyes suddenly narrowed. 'There,' he whispered, nodding his head ever so slightly. 'In the trees.'

Lily gasped and James saw it as well. Several dark robed figures were moving along the tree line, the masks were unmistakable. The Death Eaters were surrounding the train. 'So they're trying this again, are they?' Sirius said sarcastically. 'You'd think they would have learned after last time.'

'Dumbledore's not here right now,' Peter said worriedly. 'We should really get to a compartment.'

Loud screams from all around met their ears as a magically magnified voice sounded within the train. It sounded almost as if it was right where they were standing, causing them to look around quickly to ensure they were indeed alone. 'Students of Hogwarts…before you hangs a symbol of what it means to oppose Lord Voldemort. I understand that through your learning at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry that many of you are being taught to oppose me. I hope that you will realize now that this would be…ill advised.'

'Where is he?' James murmured, now pressing his face up to the window of the conductor's cabin and trying to see the figures in the trees.

'Careful,' Remus hissed.

'The train is under enchantments to protect against offensive spells after the last time,' Lily said. 'But Potter, get away from the window!'

'Some of you may feel that I am easily defied, because some of your fellows have managed this feat,' Voldemort's voice went on coldly. 'Make no mistake. No one defies Lord Voldemort and lives. Those among you who have attempted to defy me are living on borrowed time.'

James found Lily's gaze and set his jaw. He saw Frank and Alice do the same.

'But until that day arrives…be reminded. No one who opposes me is safe, not even those under the protection of Albus Dumbledore,' he added in that same high, cold tone. James felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. His face was still pressed up against the glass – he thought he saw a figure peering back at him out of the forest.

Suddenly, the menacing white face of Lord Voldemort was directly outside the window, only inches from James, leering back at him. Everyone in the compartment yelled out and jumped backwards, and James backed up a foot. 'Hello, James Potter,' he said, his voice quietly sounding from outside the window now so only those present could hear. His scarlet eyes flicked to Lily, Frank and Alice in turn before re-settling on James. 'All four of you are going to die. Soon.' His face split into a smile. Then he was gone.

Peter was whimpering from the edge of the compartment, cowering behind a chair. Lily had gone extremely pale. Sirius and Remus stood in open mouthed shock, while Frank and Alice stared numbly at the spot where Voldemort's face had been only a few moments before. There were more figures moving around outside the train now, and James recognized it was Aurors, Ministry Officials and teachers from Hogwarts. Dumbledore was easily spotted, striding into the woods.

'It's okay, they're gone,' James said after a moment, his mouth suddenly dry.

'How do you know?' Sirius asked.

James nodded out the window. 'Dumbledore is there,' he said. 'Voldemort's too much of a coward to take him on directly.'

The door to the compartment burst open, causing everyone to whip around with their wands pointed at it. Remus and Lily quickly lowered theirs when they saw Severus Snape standing there. Frank and Alice hesitated for a moment and lowered theirs as well, but Sirius, James and Peter kept their wands firmly held against him.

'I've been looking everywhere,' Snape panted, staring at Lily. That much was evident – Snape was sweating from having run the length of the train. 'What are you doing up here?' he added.

Lily blinked. 'That's – none of your business,' she said.

'Clear off,' Sirius added angrily.

Snape inhaled deeply. 'For once in your life, Black, will you just hold your tongue?' he snapped.

'I'll make you hold yours in your hands, you stupid—' Sirius began as sparks shot from his wand, but Lily stepped between the two of them, cutting Sirius off in midstride as though he had been forced into silence.

Lily stared at Snape evenly. 'I'm fine,' she said. 'Now go back to your compartment.'

Snape regarded her warily and then nodded, slowly slinking back out of the compartment and walking away. Lily turned and sat down heavily in the conductor's chair, burying her face in her hands. Alice went over and placed a hand on her shoulder. 'Are you alright?' Alice asked gently.

'I just want to get to Hogwarts already,' Lily mumbled.

It took a half hour for the train to resume its journey. Professor Mondego's body had been taken down and the train had been sent on its way. Upon arriving in Hogsmeade Station, it was apparent that news had spread quickly. People were everywhere, and James realized it was relatives and friends of the students on the train. Some students were even taken home in spite of their loud protests. James heard more than a few parents worriedly saying that they didn't feel Hogwarts was safe anymore.

James spotted Mr. and Mrs. Potter waiting not far off the platform. Remus and Peter were quickly whisked into conversation by their own parents, but given that Sirius' family was conspicuously absent, he accompanied James. 'They've delayed taking you to the school for a few minutes,' Mr. Potter said after both he and Mrs. Potter embraced James and Sirius. 'So many worried families here that they decided it would be best to wait. Are you alright?'

James nodded. 'Yeah. Uh, listen – Voldemort spoke to me.'

Mrs. Potter gasped, but Mr. Potter nodded quietly. 'I thought he might have,' he said slowly. 'And what did he say?'

'That I'm going to die,' James replied.

'Maybe we should bring you home…' Mrs. Potter began, but Mr. Potter shook his head.

'There is certainly no way that we can protect him better than Dumbledore can,' he said firmly. 'Hogwarts is the safest place right now. Provided,' he said with a meaningful glare at James. 'That you don't go wandering off the school grounds.'

'I won't,' James said firmly. 'Unless they take one of my friends again. That was the only reason I left last year.'

Mrs. Potter looked uncomfortable and cleared her throat, turning to Sirius. 'Do you think your parents are here somewhere, Sirius?' she asked.

Sirius let out a bark of laugh, causing a few heads to turn in his direction. 'If they do show up, they'll be most disappointed to discover that I'm not dead,' he said after a moment.

Mr. Potter gave him a slightly disapproving look, but someone had caught his eye. 'Excuse me,' he said and he stepped off to go and talk to the Minister for Magic, who was in hushed conversation with Bartemius Crouch and Madam Bones.

Mrs. Potter sighed. 'I suppose your father is right about you staying at school,' she muttered. 'How is it that you two always seem to get in the middle of these things?' she asked.

Sirius smirked. 'It's a kind of magic, right?' he said as he nudged James with his elbow. Mrs. Potter laughed in spite of herself.

'You two look out for each other,' she said seriously.

'Of course,' James and Sirius said together at once.

'Righ', everyone. Firs' years follow me!' came the booming voice of Hagrid as he appeared at the end of the platform, ushering the youngest and newest Hogwarts Students off towards the boats. James could see the horseless carriages pulling up, and the students who remained began making their way over to them.

Mr. Potter appeared once again. 'You two be careful,' he said earnestly. 'Stay out of trouble.'

James did his best to smile confidently back at them. 'I don't know about you, Dad, but I've had enough trouble to last a life time,' he said as he hugged his parents once more. They bestowed hugs on Sirius as well and they turned back to the carriages. James caught sight of Lily walking with Alice, Marlene McKinnon and Mary McDonald.

'Looks like Marlene's lost her face-sucking friend,' Sirius muttered darkly.

James chuckled. 'Why don't you just tell her you want to get back together?' he said.

Sirius snorted. 'You know why. Apparently, you're too big of a drain on my time.'

Remus appeared by their side. 'Two to a carriage?' he said. 'I guess I'll ride with Peter…but where is he?'

The all looked around and finally spotted Peter talking animatedly with his parents at the edge of the platform. James frowned. 'D'you suppose they're trying to take him home?' he asked.

'My parents were considering it,' Remus said solemnly. 'Hard to blame them. So much has happened around the school over the last few years…but really, is anywhere else going to be any better?'

Sirius pursed his lips. 'I wonder who's teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts this year,' he said. 'Whoever it is, I hope they weren't on the train. Seeing one of their predecessors get murdered likely isn't that good for morale.'

'That's astonishingly morbid,' Remus said.

Sirius shrugged as Peter finally made his way over, looking quiet worried as he did so. 'Everything alright, Peter?' James asked.

'What? Yes—fine—why?' Peter stammered.

Remus looked surprised. 'You seemed to be having a fairly animated conversation with your parents,' he said in a neutral tone. 'Were they…saying they wanted to bring you home?'

Peter blinked. 'Yes,' he said quickly. 'Yes, that's exactly what they were saying.'

Sirius clapped Peter hard on the back. 'Good on you for sticking it to them,' he said firmly. 'Wouldn't be the Marauders' Year without all four of us here,' he said bracingly.

'How can you be in such a good mood with what just happened?' Remus asked.

'Because,' Sirius said. 'Voldemort wants us all to be scared. He wants us all looking over our shoulders. He wants us all to fear him, and in the meantime, he wants us all to be miserable. Well I intend to bite my thumb at him by remaining foolishly optimistic and cheerful at all times.'

James laughed as Remus shook his head. 'Inspiring,' he muttered.

'Oh, I could try it your way, Moony,' Sirius said and he suddenly adopted a sombre expression. 'I must bury myself in books…I must not have a life…I must never meet girls outside of a Wilhemina Warbright book…'

Remus flushed red as James and Peter laughed. They were drawing all sorts of looks now. 'People are going to think we're touched in the head,' James chuckled.

'Let them,' Sirius said as he shook his long hair magisterially out of his face. 'They're just jealous.'

James caught several people looking over at them. Severus Snape was standing with his usual group of cronies: Mulciber, who seemed to have grown two feet taller over the course of the summer. Avery hadn't grown in height, but he seemed to have grown two feet outward. Regulus Black looked just as small and slight as ever. They were all muttering and casting glances over at James.

'Sizing us up, I think,' Remus said off-handedly.

'Yeah, I suppose Rochefort is a cakewalk compared to them,' James said as he raised an eyebrow at Snape who glared angrily back at him. 'I wonder if Lily will be less angry with me if I hex him this year.'

'Don't count on it,' Remus said under his breath.

'Oh, please do,' Sirius said hopefully. 'I'm spoiling for a rumble.'

'You may get your wish, they're coming this way,' Peter moaned. James glanced back at the village – many parents and Ministry workers were still present. He felt Snape was a fool, but he couldn't imagine him being foolish enough to start a brawl under these circumstances. Snape stopped several feet away from them, flanked by his gang.

'Potter,' Snape sneered. 'Or is it Untouchable Potter now?'

James smiled grimly. 'If the shoe fits,' he said.

'You think you're so clever,' Snape said in a soft voice. 'Just because a few well-placed connections got you off of what should have been a very long, leisurely stay in Azkaban.'

'Jealous?' James taunted.

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'Lily Evans might not see you for what you are yet,' he continued as if James hadn't spoken. 'But make no mistake, I intend to prove to her just exactly what you are.'

'Oi, I think I've put together why you're so pale,' Sirius said casually. 'Is it because your head is constantly stuck up your arse?' Snape's face flushed and Mulciber cracked his knuckles threateningly. Sirius smirked at him. 'That causes arthritis you know,' he added as James chuckled.

'Shut up,' Snape spat. 'Not everyone thinks you four are the greatest at everything. It's only a matter of time before you really step over the line, Potter, and do something that no one will be able to forgive.'

James stepped forward so that only a foot separated him at Snape. 'Hark who's talking,' he said. 'You have an odd way of endearing yourself to Evans. I'd say wanting to become a Death Eater is a faster way to get into her bad books then trying to kill one.'

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'Watch your back, Potter,' he said and they turned and stalked off. James watched them for a moment and turned to see Sirius was bouncing on his heels.

'Oh I was hoping he was going to push you,' Sirius muttered. 'I was about ready to knock him across the street!'

'It's a good thing it didn't come to that,' Remus said calmly. 'Now let's get into our carriages. Peter, care to share?' the two of them walked over to an empty carriage and Sirius gestured to the one closest to he and James.

'He wants to show Lily what I really am,' James muttered.

'You're not seriously worried about anything he has to say, are you?' Sirius asked.

James frowned as he looked over at them. 'I'm an open book, Sirius. You know me.'

'Course I do,' Sirius said.

'My only concern is that he might…fabricate something,' James went on.

Sirius scowled as they closed the door to the carriage. 'If he does, I'll fabricate my fist into his mouth. Cheer up! We're off to Hogwarts. How long d'you reckon it will take us to get into detention?'

James smirked. 'I think we could manage it tonight, if we try hard enough.'

'The game's afoot,' Sirius said heartily as the carriage began moving towards the castle.


	7. Detentions and Speculation

6

James stared ahead at the wall of the office which they were in. He spared a glance over at Sirius who raised his eyebrows suggestively. It was all too clear that Sirius was extremely pleased with himself. James tried as best he could not to laugh at the circumstances, given that they might be overheard, the next thing they knew they were both laughing hysterically.

The laughter died abruptly when the door to Minerva McGonagall's office burst open and the intimidating head of Gryffindor House stepped in. She walked brusquely behind her desk and removed her glasses, dropping them rather unceremoniously on the table in front of the two boys who immediately adopted facial expressions suitable to a mourner attending a funeral. She stared at them for a long moment, her nostrils flaring in a most foreboding manner.

'I cannot even begin to fathom,' she said in a voice of furious restraint, 'what you two were thinking. In light of everything that has happened today! You did not even make it to the start of term feast before you both had to show that you possessed the emotional depth of teaspoons!'

With McGonagall's gaze fixed on James, she missed Sirius casting him a quick smirk. James did his best to maintain a straight face.

'Just so I can make this all perfectly clear,' McGonagall said, casting her gaze upwards as if looking for divine inspiration. 'Approximately thirty seconds after arriving at the castle you placed the Confundus Charm upon Mr. Severus Snape. In a highly confused state, Mr. Snape went on to attack Professor Flitwick believing him to be…' McGonagall paused, and for the slightest moment, James thought he saw a trace of amusement cross her face. '…an aardvark whom was armed and dangerous.'

Sirius snickered. This ended up being a mistake, as McGonagall's fists suddenly clenched so tight that her knuckles crackled loudly. 'I am waiting for an explanation,' she said in a deadly voice. 'I presume you have a good one?'

'Yes, ma'am, we do,' Sirius said, motioning to James. McGonagall looked at him.

'Well?' she asked.

James cleared his throat. 'Well, it was a laugh, wasn't it?'

The next few minutes were spent having it drilled into them via a combination of yelling, gestures and a thread display that no, it most certainly was NOT a laugh in the opinion of Professor McGonagall. Upon leaving her office, Sirius and James stopped in the hallway and looked at one another. A grin played across Sirius' face and they playfully shoved each other as they began to walk. 'On the downside,' James said after a moment. 'I'm really hungry. Feast is probably over, too,' he said with a sigh.

'Are you a Marauder or not?' Sirius said. 'We know where the kitchens are.'

James mulled that over. 'If we get caught we'll be in an awful lot of trouble…my cloak and the map are in my bag.'

Sirius waved an arm. 'So we'll be living dangerously,' he said.

'You're speaking my language,' James laughed and they took off at a trot towards the lower part of the castle. The kitchens were of course located not too far from the Hufflepuff dormitories behind a large painting of a bowl of fruit. The two of them moved with great care through the Great Hall—'I feel exposed,' Sirius lamented—before dipping into the hallways once more. They arrived without incident whereupon James tickled the pear which giggled, allowing the painting to swing outwards to admit them.

Sirius inhaled deeply as they stepped into the kitchens. 'You know, I really do love elves,' he said as one of them rushed over with a plate of éclairs.

'We missed you, Sirius!' the elf declared and Sirius grinned, patting it on the head.

'All we've got at home is Kreacher,' Sirius bemoaned.

James helped himself to a chicken drumstick off of a plate and sat down next to a warm oven. 'Kreacher's your house elf?'

Sirius nodded. 'Worships the ground my parents walk on, of course,' he said bitterly. 'He's probably the only house elf worthy of the Black family tradition of having his head chopped off, and yet he is so far the only one who has managed to avoid it.'

'Your family chops the heads off of house elves?' James asked quietly for fear of causing alarm amongst the kitchen elves.

'Yup,' Sirius said glumly. 'I can't wait until I'm of age to move out. I tell you what, if I had the means I'd do it right now,' he said. 'Let them fawn over ickle Reggie the perfect little Slytherin.'

James smiled faintly. 'At least you're here now,' he said.

'True,' Sirius said as his face brightened. 'Do you think Evans is going to be angry that we hexed Snape?' he asked.

'Probably,' James said with a shrug. 'I guess we could call this an experiment to see how mad she really is with him.'

Sirius grabbed another eclaire. 'Oh, I forgot to mention,' he said after a moment. 'While you and Lily were talking on the train, I was talking to Mary McDonald. We're going out now.'

James nearly choked on his pumpkin juice. He took a moment to clear his throat and looked at Sirius. 'Come again?' he asked.

'Me and Mary,' Sirius replied casually. 'Are going out.'

'And why are you doing that?' James asked incredulously.

Sirius held up his hands. 'I know what you're thinking. You think I'm using her to make Marlene jealous so that she'll come to her senses, dump that Davey Gudgeon git and come back to me.'

'Well…is that what you're doing?' James asked.

'Of course,' Sirius replied dismissively. 'But it's not a bad thing of me to do.'

James raised his eyebrows. 'It kind of sounds bad,' he said.

'It isn't,' Sirius replied earnestly. 'Because she's just using me to make you jealous.'

James blinked. 'You're taking the mickey,' he said.

Sirius laughed. 'I thought she was too. It was all her idea, you see. She doesn't think you'll ever give her a second look, and I said the same thing about Marlene ever giving me another look again. She said a friend of hers had told her to try and make you jealous, and that sounded like a good idea for me to try with Marlene so…this is the arrangement we have.'

'Just so I can make sure I understand this,' James said slowly, 'You and Mary intend to publically snog at every opportunity to make Marlene and I jealous.'

Sirius nodded. 'That sums it up,' he said cheerily.

'Did it occur to you that I won't be jealous in the least…?' James asked.

'Sure,' Sirius said. 'It's also occurred to her that Marlene won't be jealous in the least. But it's worth a shot, and—as she put it—fun in the meantime.'

James raised an eyebrow. 'Do I want to know how she knows that…?' he asked.

'Would you buy a broom without testing it out first?' Sirius asked coyly.

'Let me rephrase that—I DON'T want to know how she knows that,' James laughed and they were both laughing heartily once more.

The door to the kitchen opened suddenly, causing James to stand up. Sirius hurled his eclaire into the air and desperately spun around on the spot, looking for something to hide behind. As everything in the kitchen was built 'house elf sized', this proved to be no easy task. The two of them knew they were done for and they traded a resigned look of fear and surprise. They were going to be caught.

But then the portrait hole closed again and no one was there. For a moment, neither of them moved, hardly daring to believe the sheer luck of the situation. Sirius exhaled with a smile after a moment. 'That was close,' he said.

'Closer than you think,' breathed a voice in his ear causing him to yell out. James leapt backwards, fighting off the urge to yelp in surprise, but laughter erupted from behind Sirius as the Invisibility Cloak whisked off of Remus and Peter who were both looking very pleased with themselves. 'The look on your face…' Remus gasped.

'You've been in my luggage,' James chastised, but he was grinning.

Peter beamed. 'My idea. You were late coming back so we pulled out the map and saw you down here. We were still a bit puckish so we thought we'd come and join you!'

Remus plucked a juicy steak from a plate and took a healthy sized bite. 'So how bad was McGonagall?' he asked. 'Fabian Prewett said that the Gryffindor jar looks like its down about fifty points already. Something he says even he and his brother haven't ever been able to manage before term even officially began,' he added in a slightly reproachful tone.

'Yeah, fifty points and a week's worth of detentions. The usual,' Sirius grinned.

'I presume you have some sort of plan for winning the points back?' Remus asked. 'You know, given that they can be a deciding factor in the Quidditch and House Cups, and all.'

James tapped his nose. 'But you've just named my path to redemption, Moony. Quidditch! We're an unstoppable crew, you know.'

'But you're short Dorcas and Cresswell now,' Peter pointed out.

James waved a hand dismissively. 'Details,' he said.

Remus raised an eyebrow. 'That's not very nice…' he began.

'I didn't mean it like that,' James back pedalled. 'Of course we can't replace the Captain and Cresswell. Those two were the fire and the ice of the team. But it won't do for us to be moaning about how they're not there. We're going to have to get some new recruits and go for a threepeat.'

Peter shook his head. 'I still think you should have been captain,' he said.

'Frank will be great,' James said firmly. 'He's a better role model for the new faces on the team.'

'Word of your misdeeds travels quickly, by the way,' Remus said. 'The portraits up near the common room were positively beside themselves over Flitwick's new—er, moniker.'

Peter shook his head. 'Professor Flitwick an armed aardvark…that's going to live forever.'

Even Remus had to laugh. 'So you've been back to the common room, then?' James asked casually.

'Yes, you're wondering what Lily had to say about your shenanigans?' Remus asked shrewdly. He smiled at James. 'She seemed more reflexively angry than genuinely put out, but you may still wish to tread lightly. Everyone else thought it was…highly amusing, but don't let that go to your heads.'

Sirius smiled again. 'Did Dumbledore make his start of term speech?'

'No,' Peter said.

'No?' James asked.

'No,' Remus said again. 'He wasn't there.'

James and Sirius traded a glance. 'When was the last time Dumbledore missed a start of term feast?'

'Thought of that,' Remus said. 'According to Nearly Headless Nick? Never. And he's been here for a long time.'

'How long?' Sirius asked.

'Over sixty years,' Remus replied.

James bit his lip. 'You think it's about Mondego?' he asked.

'Well, Mondego sure wasn't going anywhere in a hurry,' Sirius said dryly, earning a disgusted look from Remus. Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Oh come on, Dumbledore rushing off somewhere isn't exactly going to make Mondego any less dead.'

'Merlin's beard, Sirius,' Peter muttered.

James stood up and paced on the spot. 'He arrived at the train very shortly after Voldemort disappeared,' he muttered. 'I wonder if he's got a read on where he went? Maybe they're after him right now.'

'Or maybe he was indisposed,' Sirius said.

'Look, we've just found out that Dumbledore—the most powerful wizard of the day—skipped out on a traditional feast that he hasn't missed in over sixty years,' James said firmly. 'I don't think that's something that happens simply because one of our former teachers turned up dead. Something bigger has to be in play.'

'What do you think it is?' Peter asked.

James looked thoughtful. 'We know Voldemort's moved out into the open, in more ways than one. He hung Mondego, he ambushed the Hogwarts Express, and they've been torturing muggles for amusement,' he added.

'Bloody hell,' Remus whispered softly.

'If I had to try and take a stab at this,' James said. 'I think we're getting closer to an all out declaration of war. I think Voldemort is ready to make his move against the Ministry.'

Remus shook his head. 'He'd need huge numbers to do that,' he said. 'From all we've been lead to understand, the Death Eaters are a relatively select group. The Aurors alone would outnumber them, and that's without taking into account the rest of the Ministry.'

Sirius' face darkened, his sense of humor over the situation gone. 'Well, maybe Voldemort's looking at other means to fill his ranks.'

'Like what?' James asked.

'Remember what your Dad said?' Sirius asked. 'A year ago or so? That the Ministry was too short sighted when it looked at who it was willing to recruit, but Voldemort didn't have the same handicap?'

Peter gulped. 'You're saying…'

'…there are creatures out there that the Ministry has slighted or overlooked,' Sirius said slowly. 'Off the top of my head, we have centaurs, goblins, trolls, giants, and…' a look of dawning comprehension seemed to spread over his face. 'Dementors.'

James felt his stomach turn on itself. The Dementors…he had been dreading them all summer long. With a life-time incarceration in Azkaban looking very likely on some evenings, his mind had often wandered to them.

'They're under Ministry control, though,' Peter said nervously.

Sirius snorted. 'Think about it,' he said. 'Voldemort thrives on the despair that is spreading now. Who else does? Dementors. Do you think they're going to be content watching over a few rotting souls in Azkaban when they could be having a taste of the whole of England?'

'This is all speculation,' Remus said reassuringly at the look of terror on Peter's face.

'But Dumbledore's not here,' James said. 'Something major must have happened.'

Remus stood up. 'We should get back to the dormitory,' he said firmly. 'I'm sure Dumbledore will be back by the morning.'


	8. Firesides and Teachers

A/N: Oops. I noticed I double counted 'Chapter 5' a couple of times. Just to be clear, this is Chapter 8.

8

It was past midnight when James, Sirius, Remus and Peter snuck back into the dormitory. Peter was about to duck out from under the cloak when Remus grabbed his arm – Lily Evans was sitting by the fire.

'What do we do,' hissed Sirius.

'Move quietly,' Remus hissed back as they began to tiptoe across the floor.

'Catch you later,' James breathed and he ducked out from under the cloak before any of them could stop him. He walked over to the fire and looked down at Lily. She was reading through the pages of her Transfiguration textbook, lost in the words. 'Alright, Evans?' he asked and she predictably jumped slightly in her seat, spinning to look at him with an expression of mingled outrage and amusement.

'I was beginning to wonder if you'd been expelled,' she said with a smirk as he sat down opposite her. She craned her neck to look back at the portrait hole. 'Where's Sirius?' she asked.

James shrugged. 'He came back hours ago, probably went straight to bed,' he said idly as he heard the faint sound of the door to the boys' dormitory closing. 'How was dinner?'

Lily eyed him warily. 'Fine,' she said. 'No sign of Dumbledore.'

'So I'd heard,' James said. 'What about the new Defense professor?'

Lily shook her head. 'No sign of them either. And none of the other faculty mentioned him or her,' she said, scrutinizing James as she did so.

James smiled. 'What is it?' he asked.

'You're trying to deflect attention away from what you did,' she said in a neutral tone of voice.

James shrugged and stared at the fire. 'Not really,' he said. 'But if you want to discuss that, feel free.'

Lily sighed. 'Why?' she muttered. 'Why do you always have to start things?'

'I didn't start this,' James said seriously. 'I'm not the one who made damaging comments about me to a newspaper in advance of a trial that could have landed me in prison for life.'

Lily went slightly pink. 'I know,' she said. 'You know I don't agree with him about that, but really, instantly hexing him as soon as we arrive at the school? Right after Professor Mondego was murdered?'

'I'd have liked to have done more to him, if we're being candid,' James said darkly. 'Honestly, Evans—it's a mark of my affection for you that I've never done him permanent damage.'

Lily snorted. 'Affection for me,' she muttered, but it was not lost on James that the pink hue had returned to her cheeks.

'Let's not pretend it doesn't go both ways,' James quipped.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Is this how it's going to be from now on?' she said. 'You harassing me about supposedly feeling the same way about you that you do about me?'

James laughed. 'There's no 'supposedly' about it, Evans. But if it's annoying you, there really is a simple solution.'

'And that is…?' Lily asked.

'Go out with me,' James replied.

Lily snorted. 'You really are high on yourself tonight aren't you,' she muttered, but her cheeks were pink again. 'I may not be on the greatest of terms with Severus right now, but that doesn't mean going around and hexing people just for the heck of it is alright in my books, Potter,' she said, looking at him evenly with narrowed eyes. 'Remember the terms of our bet?'

'Yes, I leave old Snivelly alone and you'll finally capitulate to going on the date that you owe me,' James rattled off.

'I'm glad you remember,' Lily said crisply. 'Let's call it a mark of my affection for you that I haven't written you off altogether by this point.'

James laughed. 'I've had to wear you down to the stage where you'll actually have a conversation with me,' he said.

Lily shrugged. 'I'll admit, when we have these talks you take me by surprise,' she said seriously. 'It makes me wonder if you have a multiple personality disorder or something.'

'Stop, you're flattering me too much,' James deadpanned.

'I'm just not sure how this Potter—this one who can have these conversations, who can be open, who can seem so mature, can share a body with the Potter who loves to make other peoples' lives hell.'

James pursed his lips. 'I don't go out of my way to cause trouble for many people,' he said.

'Just Severus,' Lily replied with a raised eyebrow.

'Well he's a—a—special case,' James said. 'It's not like he lets me skate on by. And now he seems more determined than ever to stir the pot, he blames me for you and him being on the rocks.'

Lily sighed and looked at the fire. 'He's deluding himself. It's his own fault,' she said in a bitter tone.

James looked at the fire as well. 'So what did exactly happen between you two?' he asked.

Lily flushed deeply. 'I don't want to talk about it,' she said. She then stood up abruptly. 'I think we should go to bed.'

'Shouldn't I buy you dinner first?' James asked with a smirk.

Lil's jaw dropped. 'Separately!' she said tersely, but she was smiling in amusement. 'Dumbledore will probably be back tomorrow, and it will be the first day of class. We—we should be well rested. Good night.'

But Dumbledore was not back the next morning. Everyone had begun filtering down towards the great hall in advance of the school day. James had awoken early, as was his custom, to follow Lily. She had been buried deep in conversation with Alice, Marlene and Mary which had forced James to keep his distance. He had cast a quick glance over at the Slytherin table has he entered the great hall. As usual, there was no sign of Snape or his gang yet. Whether that was due to his usual desire to make a grand entrance or if he was still in the hospital wing, James was unsure.

He cast a glance up to the head table and it was then he noticed that Dumbledore was still absent. Professor McGonagall was staring at him coldly and he offered a half-wave to which she slightly shook her head and began jabbing at the food on her plate with rather astonishing force.

He did several quick counts of the teachers' table, but there was no sign of the new face. James walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down next to Frank who was studiously reading a book. 'Alright, Frank?' James asked as he sat down.

'Morning,' Frank said brightly. 'Can't believe it's the first day of school, doesn't feel that long ago that we were finishing up our third years,' he said somewhat wistfully.

James grinned. 'It was certainly a good year for you,' he said. 'You and Dearborn get to practice much over the summer?'

Frank's ears went pink. 'You mean Quidditch?' he asked in an embarrassed tone, although it could not have been plainer that James' meaning was not lost on him.

'Is that what you're calling it these days?' James asked with a laugh as Frank went even redder. 'Hey, I had a question—who's the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?'

Frank looked relieved to change the subject. 'Not sure, they weren't at the feast last night. Another first—Dumbledore missed it too, and he's never missed one,' he said.

'Any rumours?' James asked.

Frank chuckled. 'I heard it was an old friend of Dumbledore's,' he said. 'He had real trouble trying to find one this year. A part of me wouldn't be surprised if they scarpered after what happened to Mondego yesterday. I wasn't his biggest fan, but that was pretty awful,' he added in a hollow voice.

James nodded. 'Hard to think of a safer place to be than Hogwarts, though,' he said.

'True,' Frank replied. 'But I think a lot of people are getting worried about openly declaring their allegiances, you know? Hoping if they can stay on the fence and appease everybody that they'll be spared.'

'That sounds stupid,' James muttered.

Frank nodded. 'All it takes for evil to win is for good people to do nothing,' he said quietly. His face brightened considerably only a moment later when Alice dropped into the seat next to him. 'Hello,' he said happily as he put an arm around her shoulders. 'All finished with your girl gossip?' he asked with a smirk.

Alice beamed. 'You have your information networks and I have mine,' she said dryly.

'So what's the word on the street?' Frank asked.

Alice looked mischievously at James. 'Tread lightly,' she said simply.

James blinked. 'Come again?'

'Tread lightly,' Alice repeated. 'If I were to inquire as to what Lily meant, I think it would be that she's giving you a mulligan for hexing Snape yesterday. But she may not be so forgiving if you do it again.'

James chuckled. 'Thanks for the warning,' he said.

'Do you intend to heed it?' Alice asked.

'We'll see,' James replied with a smirk. He turned his gaze to Frank. 'So when are Quidditch Trials going to be, Captain?' he asked, allowing his eyes to flick to the badge on Frank's chest which Alice then smoothed out with a smile.

Frank's ears were red again. 'I'll figure that out at the end of today. I want to get a feel for our homework schedule and also get the pitch schedule from McGonagall. But as soon as possible is preferable – we're going to need the new fish to practice a lot.'

Alice suddenly looked mischievous again. 'Mary is planning to try out for Keeper again,' she said in a tone that was anything but conversational. 'If she performs like she did last year at trials, she could be a strong candidate to make the team…wouldn't you agree?'

James laughed. 'I'm assuming you are privy to her plans?'

Frank looked confused as Alice chuckled. 'I might be,' she said coyly looking at Frank. 'Mary and Sirius have an—er—arrangement,' she said.

'Do I want to know…?' Frank asked in a bemused tone, but before he could be told, Sirius, Remus and Peter arrived at the table and flopped down rather unceremoniously all around them.

'Flurgh,' Sirius grumbled as he reached for a cup of pumpkin juice.

'You're…not a morning person,' Alice understated.

Sirius looked at her with an amusingly cockeyed expression that caused them all to burst out laughing. 'Honestly, did you even look in the mirror before coming down?' James asked, reaching over to shove down a cowlick that was standing up at a ninety degree angle from Sirius' head. Sirius batted James' hand away irritably.

'Leave it, Mum,' he groaned.

'What kept you up so late last night?' Frank asked.

Remus – the only one of them that didn't look like hell warmed over – smiled. 'We were a bit peckish,' he said.

'So the kitchens?' Alice asked.

'Indeed,' Remus replied as he helped himself to a heaping of bacon and sausage. 'It should be interesting to see who they've got for Defense Against the Dark Arts today,' he went on. 'I mean, we know they haven't cancelled the class because it's still on the agenda.'

It seemed to be only a short while later that they were heading to that very class. There was a buzz in the air as they arrived in the classroom and made their way in. James observed that the teacher must be out of the room – he or she had left a pile of rather decrepit looking robes leaning on the desk at the head of the class. There was a faint smell of stale drink and smoke in the air that caused many of the students to wrinkle their noses in displeasure.

'That's some smell,' Sirius remarked as he waved his hand in front of his face. 'Maybe the only person that Dumbledore could find to take the job was a homeless man?'

'An' what house are you in?' came a wheezing voice from the pile of robes, causing several of the students nearby it to jump. Sirius, who had grown somewhat accustomed to teachers hiding in plain sight over the years, simply looked at the robes in surprise. 'I asked you a question,' the wheezing voice said again as James noticed two eyes peering out from within the robes.

Sirius smirked. 'Slytherin,' he lied.

'Well five points from 'em then,' came the voice as the robes stood up. A head popped out of the top of them and arms emerged from the sleeves. 'Now siddown.'

If the teacher was aware that there were no Slytherins in the class, he did an expert job of hiding it. 'Open them textbooks, read the first chapter. No need to talk. I'm sleepin'.'

Remus looked confused. 'Don't you intend to teach us, Professor…?' he asked.

The man snorted. 'There'll be none o' that Professor talk in here,' he said as he yawned deeply and pulled a mangy looking pipe from the folds of his robes. 'I'm s'posed to teach you some things, at leas' that's what Dumbledore wants…' his eyes suddenly seemed to focus when he mentioned Dumbledore's name. 'Not sure 'zactly what sort of wisdom I'm s'posed to impart on you lot.'

'You could start with your name?' Edgar Bones suggested helpfully.

The man shrugged. 'Mundungus Fletcher,' he said offhandedly. 'You lot can call me Dung.'

There was snickering from around the room at the nickname. Frank Longbottom's eyes narrowed. 'You're a criminal,' he stated flatly. The laughter died and everyone looked tensely at Fletcher, who didn't look perturbed by the statement.

'Depends on your point of view,' he replied.

'No it doesn't,' Frank said as he crossed his arms. 'I've heard of you. You deal in illegal trades, thievery, burglary…'

Fletcher chuckled. It was a rather unpleasant sound. 'You'd be Frank Longbottom, am I right?'

Frank looked momentarily taken aback. 'Yes,' he said.

'Not surprised,' Fletcher muttered. 'You an' me share some of the same contacts. Tell me, do you judge them on their history when they're giving you the information you pay for?'

Frank's ears turned red as he sat down in his seat. Alice stood up furiously from beside him. 'He's trying to get information on what Dark Wizards are up to. What's your excuse?' she asked.

Fletcher chuckled again. 'I'm not standin' before you lot in a white hat,' he said. 'I s'pose you've had a few different teachers. Let's see, there was Bowen—he was a solid Auror, got me inter trouble a few times. He woulda taught you how to fight, am I right?' there was nodding from the classroom. 'Then there was Mondego. Most skilled Occlumens of all time and a man out to save his own skin. He'da taught you how to protect your minds and your backsides…am I right?' again there was nodding. 'And then you had Madam Bones. She probably taught you about the Unforgiveable Curses and Magical Law…am I right?' once more, there was nodding. 'So I guess I'm here to teach you about the other side of the law.'

'You mean how to break it?' Frank said loudly.

Fletcher shrugged. 'Your friend over there did and he's still here,' he said, off handedly pointing at James.

'That was self defense,' Lily Evans said suddenly.

Fletcher nodded as he pointed at her. 'What's yer house?'

'Gryffindor,' she said.

'Five points to Gryffindor,' Fletcher gruffed. 'Mark my words, you lot—there is always, always a circumstance under which it is permissible for a law to be broken.'

James raised his eyebrows and looked over at Frank apologetically. Frank looked shocked beyond words, and Alice was still staring with utmost loathing at Fletcher. 'As Potter here discovered over the summer, being in mortal danger gives you leeway,' Fletcher carried on. 'I've got a certain amount of leeway as well.'

'I don't see how the two circumstances are the same,' Frank said icily.

Fletcher shrugged. 'I've got information,' he said. 'Contacts—contacts certain people very badly want to hear from but can't get close to. We've come to an understanding. I stay safe at the school, I give them the information.'

'Why are you telling us all of this?' Lily asked.

'Why not?' Fletcher shrugged. 'It's all stuff you're going to find out sooner or later.'

James raised his hand. 'If you don't mind telling us, then…where's Dumbledore?'

Everyone looked at Fletcher who lit his pipe. 'Off doin' business against He Who Must Not Be Named,' he said off handedly.

'What sort of business?' Alice asked.

'He didn't tell me, did he?' Fletcher said with another chuckle. 'He keeps a lot to himself, Dumbledore. Trying to sort him out is like breaking a dozen eggs and trying to put 'em back together with a mallet. When he wants people to know, they'll know.' Fletcher yawned. 'Anyway…Chapter 1, chaps. Read.'


	9. Returns and Contests

9

'There's not really another explanation, is there? Dumbledore has lost his mind.'

Alice Dearborn's statement was met with a series of pensive stares and thoughtful facial expressions. They were gathered around the fireplace in the Gryffindor common room. The first day of class had come and gone harmlessly enough. After reading their textbooks for the duration of Defense Against the Dark Arts while Professor Fletcher had snored in a loud and aggravating fashion, the rest of the day had been quite interesting. In Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall had taken the rather unusual track of teaching the students how to transfigure harmless objects into rather formidable weapons. James had succeeded nearly instantly at turning a pillow into a Morning Star, a deadly nunchaku with a spiked ball on the end. Sirius had been hot on his heels by turning his pillow into a small but savage Wolverine, which had successfully chewed the legs off of several desks while the students had run for cover. Lily had been third, producing possibly the most deadly weapon – a Muggle contraption called a grenade. No one had taken her all that seriously at first when she had shouted for everyone to get out of the room, as no 'trigger pin' was inside it, but once safely outside the class, the resultant explosion was enough to convince everyone she had been right.

Charms had proceeded in a very similar fashion, with Professor Flitwick who had taught them how to charm objects into flying menacingly at their targets and crashing into them with great impact. It was not lost on James that the manner of their teaching had taken a rather abrupt turn towards combat.

'Has he really, though?' Peter asked suddenly, snapping James out of his reverie. 'I mean, Professor Fletcher doesn't seem all that…well, good, but Dumbledore would have his reasons for having him here, wouldn't he?'

Sirius yawned. 'Hardly seemed worse than Mondego to me,' he said with a shrug.

Alice rolled her eyes. 'You're just happy he was still sleeping and couldn't assign homework when class ended,' she snapped. 'I don't know what Dumbledore is getting at by hiring a sneak thief to teach us defense.'

Lily walked over and sat down. 'Probably for the same reason that he's got McGonagall and Flitwick teaching us how to fight,' she said as everyone looked at her. 'Isn't it obvious? They're trying to prepare us for what's waiting out there.'

Remus nodded. 'It's definitely ramping up. Things are changing.'

'Maybe that's what we're supposed to take from Fletcher being made our new teacher,' Frank said suddenly. 'That even though he might be…dodgy, the enemy of our enemy is our friend.'

Alice hesitated and nodded. 'That actually makes sense.'

'But we can't become too like them,' James said fiercely and everyone looked at him. 'Look, you all heard Madam Bones at my sentencing. That we need to be as ruthless, as cunning, as deadly…but it has to have limits. The Death Eaters hurt innocent people, we can't ever do that.' Lily nodded, giving James that strange look that he had come to associated with her being surprised by him. 'If we're supposed to learn from Fletcher that there's a moral grey area to certain things, then point made. But we all have to have our own limits to what we will do to win, to protect each other.'

Frank nodded fervently. 'Exactly,' he said.

'Well I'm inspired,' Sirius said with a grin. 'Quite the leader you make, Rudolph.'

Remus and Peter laughed suddenly and James felt his cheeks flush involuntarily. Frank, Alice and Lily looked confused. 'Why do you call him Rudolph…?' Lily asked slowly, but her eyes were fixed on James.

'No reason,' James said forcefully glaring at Sirius who chuckled and raised his arms in mock surrender. The reason was obvious, of course – the best moment of James' time at Hogwarts had come during the previous year when he had ducked away into a muggle village to find a Christmas gift for Lily. He had found one in the form of a stuffed reindeer named Rudolph, which had unexpectedly scored big points with Lily. She had confessed to James that Christmas was the one time of year that her sister didn't treat her like a freak, and they sat down and watched Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer together on something called a television. 'So any bets when Dumbledore is back?' James asked in an attempt to change the subject.

Remus looked thoughtful. 'I'd say sooner rather than later,' he said at last. 'He won't want to leave the school unguarded for long.'

'It's not unguarded,' Frank cut in. 'He's left extra protection measures in place ever since Rochefort made his way onto the grounds in our first year,' he said.

'Like what?' Peter asked eagerly.

Frank shook his head. 'I don't think anyone but Dumbledore knows all of it,' he said with a sigh. 'If other people knew, they might let the information slip to the wrong people. So he's playing it close to his chest.'

Sirius frowned. 'You mean he doesn't trust the other teachers?' he asked.

'Well, would you trust Fletcher?' Frank asked with raised eyebrows.

'Or Slughorn, he seems like a person who might have a price,' Alice suggested.

Sirius nodded. 'Point made,' he said. 'So Dumbledore has some surprises in store for Death Eaters if they try to get onto the grounds…that's comforting,' he said with a smile.

'Could they stop Voldemort if he really wanted to get in, though?' Lily asked.

James shrugged. 'Well, he hasn't shown up. With Dumbledore gone, now would be the perfect time, wouldn't it?' he asked.

And on that note, they scattered for the night to go to sleep.

The next morning, James followed his morning routine and woke up in advance of the others. He put on his robes and gathered his school bag and headed down into the common room just in time to see Lily making her way down the staircase of the girls' dormitory. 'Alright, Evans?' he called across the room and he broke into a trot to catch up with her.

'Morning Potter,' she said with a sigh as they headed for the portrait hole. 'Are you my new shadow?'

'You have some objection?' he asked coyly as they stepped out into the quiet castle.

'Maybe,' she replied in an equally coy tone as they began to walk. 'So. Rudolph.'

James put on his best winning smile. 'They like their little joke,' he said.

'Do they give you a hard time often?' Lily asked.

'Of course,' James replied.

'Somehow I can't really see that. You letting someone give you a hard time,' Lily said as they headed down the staircase towards the main hall.

James smirked. 'Why? Because you think I've got such a big head?'

'Partly,' Lily said as they entered the great hall for breakfast. Whatever the other part of her feeling was was cut off by the fact that Albus Dumbledore was sitting at the head of the faculty table, engaged in conversation with Professor McGonagall. James and Lily walked quickly to the table, James noticing that they were the first students to arrive. 'Professor Dumbledore!' Lily said. 'Welcome back.'

Dumbledore smiled as he looked down at them. 'Thank you, Ms. Evans. I was kept away longer than I would have preferred, but there were certain necessities to organize. I trust your first day of class went well?'

'Oh yes,' Lily said in a sickly schoolgirl voice that sounded completely unlike her. James frowned at her. 'We were wondering what you were up to?'

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. 'Many things,' he replied. 'Some of which will be revealed very shortly, others which must remain secret for now. I would suggest getting a head start on breakfast. There will be a few things which will undoubtedly attract your interest once the rest of the student body has arrived.'

And with that, he waved them away indicating the conversation was over. James was stifling a laugh and Lily frowned at him. 'What's so funny?' she asked.

'Where did you pull that voice from?' James asked.

'What voice?' Lily whispered in a scandalized tone.

James let his whisper rise several octaves. 'Oh hello, Professor Dumbledore. I'm a cute, innocent little schoolgirl who's going to ask questions in a voice like a ten year old.'

Lily flushed red. 'I did not sound like that!'

'Care to wager?' James asked as they sat down at the Gryffindor table, food magically appearing on the plates in front of them as they did so.

Lily ignored him and cleared her throat. 'Wonder what he's going to tell us,' she said in an obvious attempt to change the subject that James allowed to drop. Slowly, the great hall filled up. James was somewhat surprised to see Severus Snape enter earlier than usual, without the accompaniment of his usual entourage. Snape made eye contact with James and scowled in an ugly manner at him, causing James to waggle his fingers back at him tauntingly. Lily, who had been engaged in conversation with Alice, missed this interaction. Slowly, the great hall filled and everyone took in their share of breakfast. James noticed that even Mundungus Fletcher had staggered in and sat next to Dumbledore at the table. He also noticed Professor McGonagall looking at Fletcher with a notable degree of scorn, something he whispered to Frank who seemed heartened by this.

After everyone was finished their breakfast, Dumbledore stood. The effect was immediate – the hall went silent as the grave, everyone waiting with anticipation to hear where he had been.

'I understand there has been a great deal of speculation about my absence. I regret to inform you that there is only so much I am going to share with you,' he said. 'A very minor part of my absence was putting the finishing touches on an event which will take place at Hogwarts this year. An event that has taken place only twice in the school's history, making this a very special year indeed for the student body. The first part of this announcement is to inform you that end of year exams will be cancelled.'

A mixture of cheers and groans came from the students. Lily was one of the students groaning in disappointment, and James had to stifle the urge to laugh.

'Also cancelled this year, is Quidditch and the House Cup,' Dumbledore went on.

'OI!' James shouted so loudly that even in their shock, half of the student body broke into laughter.

'The reason for this is because,' Dumbledore went on with a smile in James' direction, 'that Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry will be engaging in an event this year. An event that has not taken place at Hogwarts for fifty-five years,' he added with a twinkle in his eye. 'The event is the Hogwarts Combat Championship.'

James was confused; he had never heard of this. Judging by the immediate reactions of Remus and Lily, however—Remus' jaw dropped and Lily gasped audibly—they had.

'The entire student body will be invited to take part,' Dumbledore said with an incline of his head. 'There will be no teams, no divisions, no houses. The championship will be every man or woman for him or herself. And…there can only be one winner.'

Excited whispering filled the hall and Dumbledore smiled at the effect. 'There will also be a prize of considerable value for the last student left standing. You will all, of course, have noticed that your classes yesterday were skewed towards learning the combative side of magic. I would advise you all to pay close attention in your studies, as any of these skills being taught to you could be the difference between victory and defeat.

'The Championship will take place after spring break and will last until either the end of the school year, or when a champion is crowned. Whichever comes first,' Dumbledore added. 'The full rules will be posted in your dormitories by this evening. Happy studying, use every moment at your disposal in preparation! Now off to class.'

'This is unbelievable,' Sirius said excitedly as they began to file out of the great hall. 'I mean, can you imagine? Oh it's going to be so fun to hex Snivellus and actually have an excuse for it now!'

'It seems you have obviously completely grasped the point of this whole event,' Remus said sarcastically.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'Okay, Mum, what's the big point?'

Remus sighed. 'The same thing as last night,' he said slowly. 'We're being prepared for war.'


	10. Races and Rules

10

Evening could not come fast enough. There was almost a rush from Potions class – last of the day – for all the students to get back to their dormitories. Professor Slughorn looked put out by the rush to escape his classroom, but James put that from his mind as he sprinted through the hallways of the school with Sirius at his side.

'Are we racing?' James heard Peter gasp out from several yards behind him.

Sirius laughed. 'Sure, why not?'

And just like that, it was on. James saw Frank Longbottom suddenly leap nimbly through the air over top of a first year picking up her books and take the lead. He bolted up the left-most staircase in the main hall, taking them two at a time. James grit his teeth and ran for the right-most staircase with Sirius hot on his heels. He and Frank met at the top at the same moment. They both began sprinting for the moving staircases and stopped as they were in mid-stride.

Frank made his selection and jumped onto a staircase that was swinging in the opposite direction of the portrait hole. James carefully regarded his options and then leapt onto the wall, scaling them by the portraits that were magically stuck to the wall. The figures in the portrait cried out in indignation as James climbed over them all and made it to the hallway leading to the common room just as Frank's staircase arrived. They ran together and James playfully tugged on the back of Frank's robes and vaulted into the lead, but it was short-lived. Remus bolted between the two of them and moved faster than James could have believed. He skidded to a stop in front of the common room and turned with his arms raised in victory in front of the portrait hole.

But it suddenly opened, striking him in the shoulder, allowing Lily Evans to step out with a triumphant smile on her face.

James skidded to a halt and blinked. She had still been gathering her things in Slughorn's classroom when they left. 'Evans,' he panted. 'How…how in the?'

Lily grinned and pulled a broomstick from behind her back. 'Honestly, Potter. I thought of all people you'd have thought of the broom.'

'Are the rules posted?' Sirius gasped, clutching a stitch in his side. The slapping of footfalls on the concrete behind them signalled Peter finally catching up. He collapsed onto the ground, wheezing painfully as he did.

Lily nodded and gestured inside. 'See for yourself,' she said. She grinned at Remus who was looking at her ruefully. 'Oh come on, you beat Potter and Longbottom here. That's a triumph.'

Remus sighed, catching his breath faster than any of the others. 'I suppose so,' he said with a smile as he followed everyone into the common room. James and Sirius had pressed themselves over to the rules and were reading them carefully.

'THE HOGWARTS COMBAT CHAMPIONSHIP

On March 1, The Championship will begin. Each student will turn in their wand to a Hogwarts Teacher, at which time they will be furbished with a special Combat Championship Wand. These Wands will ensure that no harm can come to Hogwarts Students, although the process of casting spells will remain the same.

In the event that an attacking spell successfully strikes a student, they will be marked as having been eliminated from the competition and their wand will instantly vaporize. They will have thirty seconds for comments or remarks to allies or adversaries, before they will be instantly apparated to the safe zone. Once in the safe zone, regular school studies will commence.'

At this, Sirius frowned. 'I thought it was every man for himself…?' he asked.

'Only one person can win this competition, but there are no rules against forming alliances. In fact, this is encouraged. Team work and fair play are critical parts to winning battle. But be forewarned, that all alliances must come to an end at some point as only one can survive. So be ever on your guard, for even the best of friends might become bitter adversaries.

'The Prize for winning this Combat Championship will be revealed after the Christmas Break. It has considerable value and importance, so we encourage all students to study carefully as this could be a determining factor in whether or not you emerge victorious.

Good luck.'

'Wow,' James said with raised eyebrows as he and Sirius looked at each other excitedly. 'Allies?' he said.

'You bet,' Sirius grinned.

Remus nodded his assent and Peter did as well. 'We're going to have to stick together, especially in the early going. The seventh years are going to be a big challenge.'

'Let's not discuss strategy so openly,' James said with a laugh as everyone else began filing in to take a look at the rules. Excited chatter filled the common room to such a pitch that James could barely make out any words. He noticed Frank was still going over the rules carefully. He stepped forward and clapped him on the shoulder. 'Alright, Frank?' he asked. It had suddenly occurred to him that this meant Frank would not get to exercise his Quidditch Captaincy this year. 'Sorry about Quidditch, mate,' he said quietly.

But when Frank turned around, he was beaming. 'What's to be sorry about?' he said. 'I still get all the privileges of being Captain. And we still have three more years left after this one to win the House Cup. This is going to be fun! Looks like everyone is already getting into alliances,' he said with a laugh. It was true. James saw Gideon and Fabian talking animatedly, and he was sure that he picked out that they were planning on picking off the Slytherins. Lily and Alice were in deep conversation with Marlene McKinnon and—to James' surprise—Mary McDonald. How those two would function on the same team once Sirius and Mary put their plan to make Marlene (and James) jealous would be interesting.

'You going to partner up with Alice?' James asked Frank.

Frank nodded. 'It depends on her, but I'd like to of course,' he said with a grin. 'I would hope it doesn't come down to the two of us. That would be difficult.'

'I think it will all depend on what the prize is,' Peter piped up as they moved over to sit by the fireplace. 'If it's something really good, I wonder if friendships will go out the window…if people will start picking off weaker players first,' he said with a bashful look at Sirius.

Sirius scowled. 'You implying that we'd turn on you, Peter?' he asked.

Peter flushed. 'Well—I—would you?' he stammered.

'Of course not,' Remus said kindly, but Sirius may as well have had steam coming out of his ears.

'Just who do you think we are?' he hissed. 'The only way I would turn on you is if we were the final four left. Marauders always have each other's backs, Peter, or have you forgotten that?'

James put a hand on Sirius' shoulder. 'Easy,' he said. 'The championship doesn't start for a few months yet, we've got plenty of time to work out details and it certainly doesn't hurt to ask hard questions. Like what DOES happen if it's us in the final four?'

'Already counting me out?' Frank said with a raised eyebrow.

James laughed. 'We'll have plenty of time to evaluate the possibility of you winning too, Frank,' he said.

'I'll tell you one thing,' Frank murmured. 'I think getting the Prewetts on your side would be a good starting point.'

Peter nodded fervently. 'They're devious. And really good with their wands,' he said with relish.

'Maybe,' James said.

Remus raised an eyebrow. 'What's going through your head right now, James?' he asked.

James was looking at Lily, still deep in conversation with Alice, Marlene and Mary. 'Just thinking that the first few hours of this thing are going to be pretty crazy,' he said.

'I'll leave you lot to discuss strategy,' Frank said with a smile. He glanced at the window and stopped. 'Someone expecting mail?' James looked over to see him open the window to admit a beautiful grey owl with black spots. He untied the envelope from its leg and looked at the logo. 'James, it's for you,' he said handing it over. It was written in somewhat familiar penmanship, although James couldn't place it.

'JAMES POTTER

Open in Private'

'I'll be back,' he said, taking the stairs two at a time to the dormitory and making sure he was alone. He slit the envelope and opened it up to find a letter inside.

'Hullo James!

I don't often find myself jealous of many people, but I do have to admit I am insanely jealous of you at the moment. The Hogwarts Combat Championship! I'd read all about them of course, but I wasn't lucky enough to have the chance to partake in one while I was a student.

I can't give you any insight to what the Championship will hold as that is forbidden. Dumbledore made that quite clear. All I can say to you, James, is this: Win. You have to win! It will make things much quicker and easier.

Tell Longbottom I'm sorry he has to wait until next year to try the Captain's badge on for size, and tell the Slytherins I'm sorry that they'll have to wait until next year to lose to you again.

All the best, I'll be keeping tabs on the championship!

Your friend,

Dorcas'

James grinned at the letter. He had been feeling somewhat amiss since arriving at Hogwarts, and now he realized why. Dorcas had been a constant friend and mentor to him since he had first arrived, and it felt very odd indeed going through the first few days of school without her there. His elation at receiving the letter quickly faded to curiosity, though, as he re-read the line: 'Win. You have to win. It will make things much quicker and easier.'

James rolled this over and over in his mind, trying to determine exactly what she was implying. She obviously knew about the Championship, and that Dumbledore had it quite clear that she was not to give him advice. Dumbledore…

James stood up. It hadn't taken him but a few seconds to realize what it all meant. Dorcas knew what Dumbledore had been up to. She was in on whatever it was. Which meant that the prize…

'Means finding out,' James whispered to himself out loud.

The door to the dormitory opened and Sirius, Remus and Peter came in. 'What's up?' Sirius asked.

James briefly contemplated keeping it from them, but it only lasted a moment. He gave them the letter and they read it over. 'Interesting,' Remus murmured. 'Very interesting.'

'Well, the way forward is clear then,' Sirius said. 'James has to win.'

'What?' James said.

Sirius sat down. 'If Dorcas is saying you need to win, and if we're right that it means you'll figure out what Dumbledore is up to…I mean, it all adds up to the same thing, doesn't it?' he said. 'Voldemort and Rochefort. You need all the knowledge you can get. So you have to win.'

'Not necessarily,' James said. 'I mean—if any of us were privy to that knowledge, we'd share it with each other. Right?'

'Of course,' Remus, Peter and Sirius all said at once.

James smiled. 'So any of us can win and it adds up to the same thing,' he said.

Sirius mulled that over and smiled. 'Sounds good to me,' he said.

Remus leaned back. 'We're going to need a good plan,' he said. 'Have any of you read about previous Hogwarts Combat Championships?' At their blank facial expressions, he lied. 'Of course not, that would be implying that you read,' he murmured.

'Who needs to read when we have you, Moony?' Sirius quipped.

Remus grinned. 'The opening days are, to put it delicately, a bloodbath,' he said. 'There's roughly one thousand students at Hogwarts. That's a lot of people to cram into the hallways of the school, so there's going to be a lot of open fighting. In previous combat championships, more than fifty percent of the student body has been eliminated on the first day.'

'The first day?' Peter yelped.

'So we need to lay low,' James said.

'We also have an advantage,' Sirius said with a grin. 'The Map!'

Remus nodded. 'If they let us keep anything on our person, the Map is going to be the big key. We may need to hide out in a secret passageway as well,' he said.

'I wonder what will happen with the classrooms, dormitories and such,' Sirius said.

'Dormitories will be locked, classrooms are fair game,' Remus said.

'So we're all agreed on something right now, then,' Sirius said. 'The four of us to the end. Agreed?' He stuck his hand into the middle of the room. James leapt up and put his hand in. Remus and Peter followed a second later. 'Marauders always have each other's backs,' Sirius said strongly.

'This is going to be fun,' James said with a grin.

Sirius smirked as they all headed for the dormitory. 'My real question,' he said. 'Is what you'll do if you come face to face with Lily Evans.'


	11. Jealousy and Brawls

11

The questions flowed to Remus into the night and the following morning. Having read all about the previous Combat Championships, he was a wealth of knowledge about how previous events had gone. He was careful not to speak too loudly, however, as the quartet was looking for any advantage they could get over the rest of the playing field.

'I still don't understand how these combat wands work,' Peter said nervously. 'You're sure they can't hurt us?'

Remus nodded patiently as they walked to the great hall for breakfast. 'Casting spells will require all of the same movements and incantations as a regular wand would. Defensive spells will actually work just as your regular wand would as well. It's the aggressive spells that will change. If they strike you, they will not injure you but only mark you as being ready to be apparated to the safe zone.'

'And we get thirty seconds to say our goodbyes or what have you,' Peter said.

Sirius snorted. 'If somebody knocks me out, I'd use those thirty seconds to tell them to go—'

What Sirius would tell someone was cut off as Remus abruptly grabbed him by the scruff of his robes and steered him in the opposite direction. James and Peter bunched up together and followed, effectively blocking Sirius' view from what was a very passionate embrace near the top of the staircase between Marlene McKinnon and Davey Gudgeon.

'Gerroffme,' Sirius said in an exasperated tone as he shook Remus' hand off. 'What are you trying to do?'

'Taking an alternate route to breakfast,' Remus lied smoothly.

Sirius stopped walking and turned. James and Peter extended their arms, but it was no use – he could see Marlene and Davey kissing at the top of the stairs and his jaw clenched. 'Fine,' he said in a tight voice. 'Fine,' he said again, that voice going to an alarmingly high octave that indicated he was shaken. 'So it's a good snog she wants, is it?' he stormed off.

'Where are you going?' Peter called as the three of them ran after Sirius.

'To give someone a snog!' Sirius thundered loudly, startling a pair of Gryffindor second years as he passed. James fought off a mad urge to laugh at the incredulous looks on their face.

Remus seemed to be fighting off an amused look as well. 'You're not seriously intending to follow through on this plan with—' he cut himself off as they arrived at the portrait hole just in time for Mary McDonald to emerge. 'Mary,' Remus finished. 'Top of the morning. Sleep well?' he asked, grimacing at how awkward the words sounded.

Mary raised her eyebrows. 'You feeling alright Remus?' she said.

'Mary,' Sirius said, his voice thankfully back down to a normal level. 'Do you remember our conversation on the train?'

Mary's cheeks flushed and her eyes flicked to James who pretended to be studiously observing a conversation occurring in a portrait of six men gathered around a wine barrel. 'Yes,' she whispered back.

'I would be glad to continue it near the staircase,' Sirius said meaningfully.

James could practically feel Mary's eyes upon him. 'I'd love to,' she said in a suddenly sickly sweet voice that reminded James of Lily when she had tried to charm information out of Dumbledore. His mouth twitched upwards in a smile.

'Catch up with us,' Sirius called over his shoulder as he linked arms with Mary and walked off down the hall, leaving James, Remus and Peter standing by themselves.

'Do either of you think this will end well?' Peter asked worriedly.

James sighed. 'No,' he muttered truthfully.

Remus cast a glance at him. 'Are you alright with this?' he asked.

'Me? I don't care—why?' James asked.

Remus shrugged. 'Well, you know why Mary is doing it…' he began.

'…and if I were in love with Mary, maybe that would have some sort of impact upon me, but seeing as I'm in love with Lily it has no impact on me whatsoever,' he said.

Remus smirked but said no more as they approached the staircase leading down to the entrance hall of the school to find a small crowd had gathered. Marlene was staring, open mouthed, as Sirius and Mary passionately embraced only a few feet from them. Davey Gudgeon was trying to get her attention again, but she was not to be deterred from staring in slack-jawed amazement at what was occurring.

'We should go,' Peter said.

'Impolite to watch, really,' Remus added.

'Give them some space and all,' James chimed in and they moved around them and on down the staircase. He smiled inwardly . He could not help feeling that Sirius' plan was working somewhat superbly.

The feeling did not last long, however. They reached the bottom of the staircase when James noticed a group was waiting for them. Severus Snape stood there, flanked by his usual gang – Mulciber, Avery and Regulus Black. 'Alright, Snivellus?' James asked casually as Remus and Peter flanked him. Some students lingered to watch as Snape walked forward.

'I'm here to burst your bubble, Potter,' Snape said in a waspish whisper. 'You might think that your pranks are funny, and right now you might feel that the school and the world are your oyster, but we are about to enter my domain.'

'What are you raving about?' James asked.

Snape chuckled. 'The Combat Championship, of course,' he said. 'I'm sure you have designs on winning it? Think again. You have no chance.'

'And who's going to stop me?' James countered. 'You?'

'I won't have to,' Snape replied. 'You'll lose it all by yourself. Always playing the hero, the braggart, the show-off. Only one person can win, Potter. Do you really think you'll be able to turn on your friends?'

James frowned. 'And it's easy for you to turn on yours, is it?' he said.

Snape smiled grimly. 'I've tried to impress upon you time and time again that we are but men of parts,' he said. 'That wearing your heart on your sleeve is not the surest way to victory. That you have to be devious and cunning. The fact that you have ignored all of this is the reason you remain at the top of the Dark Lord's personal hit list.'

'Oh, and you know all about that, don't you?' James hissed, stepping forward so he and Snape were nose to nose. 'You know all about your little Dark Lord? Tell me, Snivelly, was it you who told Rochefort about the pranks? About the polyjuice potion? Because if you did, Engelland's death is on your head.'

For the briefest of seconds, a flicker of confusion crossed Snape's face. 'I haven't the faintest idea what you are talking about,' Snape said, but then he smirked. 'However, anyone who died to protect you can't have had much to live for to begin with.'

James' fist flew of its own accord, striking Snape across the face and sending him crashing to the ground. Chaos then reigned supreme. James found himself being tackled by the massive form of Mulciber, cracking his head on the stone floor as he did so. He was dimly aware of Remus sending a stunning spell directly into Avery, sending him flying across the room as Regulus hit Peter with an Impediment Jinx. James tried to wriggle out from underneath Mulciber, but the bigger Slytherin grabbed a hold of James' head and bashed it into the floor, sending stars sparkling across his vision.

A screeching war cry met James' ears and he could make out the vague shape of Sirius Black hurtling through the air, having flung himself off the balcony next to the staircase. He landed with an almighty crash on Mulciber's back, crushing both he and James in the process. Sirius began swinging his fists with wild abandon, causing the two of them to roll off of James who groaned as he crawled to his feet.

They were no longer alone in the fight—the Slytherin Quidditch team was charging into the fray. Crabbe deflected a stunning spell from Remus and bulled into him, body checking the smaller Gryffindor to the ground. Flint helped Regulus by holding Peter, allowing Regulus to punch the smaller Gryffindor in the face.

Snape was back on his feet, his wand pointed at James and he cast a spell that hurtled at James with a lethal whistling sound. James hit the ground and it whipped over his head as Gryffindors leapt into the fray. Mary McDonald vaulted into the center of things and cast an expert disarming charm on Goyle. Marlene McKinnon hit Flint with a Jelly Leg Jinx that sent him to the floor.

James was back on his feet and cast a quick succession of stunning spells at Snape, who showed excellent agility in dodging all of them. He hurled another curse at James who shouted 'Protego!' and deflected it back at him, causing Snape to duck. The spell hit the wall behind him, causing the stones to crack.

Gideon and Fabian Prewett seemed to materialize out of thin air in the middle of the fray and they went to work. Flint and Regulus suddenly found themselves dangling in the air by their ankles; Mulciber was hit with a double stunning spell that sent him crashing into a suit of armour, where he did not move. Avery was slammed with a combination of jinxes that made him resemble a large iguana. James stood back as Snape, Crabbe and Goyle all sent a variety of curses at the Twins, but they moved like smoke. James briefly flashed back to the train car in their second year, when several fully grown Death Eaters had been unable to land a finger on them. They did so again, rolling and flipping over one another and casting spells back.

The three Slytherins had their backs turned to James as all of their attention was focussed on trying to hit the Twins, something which was proving to be a nearly impossible task. James cast a stunning spell which was quickly joined by two more from behind him, as Sirius and Remus had regained their feet. The triple spell collided with Snape, Crabbe and Goyle sending them crashing to the floor, unconscious, and everyone stood for a moment. Sirius was bleeding heavily from a cut over his eyebrow. Remus looked dishevelled, but unscathed. He ran over to Peter, who was unconscious on the floor and muttering in his sleep. Mary walked over to Marlene, who seemed to have a scorch mark on her shoulder, to see if she was okay, but the latter jerked away and glared at the former.

Slow clapping filled the hall, causing everyone to look around. Professor Fletcher stood there, how long he had been there no one was sure. 'Enjoy your little warm-up?' he asked.

James braced himself for a reduction of points but Fletcher merely chuckled as he lit a cigar that he puffed idly. 'You'd best clear off before McGonagall gets here,' he said.

Everyone picked themselves up. Mutinous glares were exchanged between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors, but no one dared cast another curse directly in front of a teacher. James saw Remus walk up to Fletcher. 'Why didn't you put a stop to this…Professor?' he added, trying his best to maintain a level tone.

Fletcher chuckled. 'I aim to bet on the Championship, and this gave me some ideas of who to bet on. Now clear off,' Fletcher said irritably.

'You should go to the hospital wing,' James observed of Sirius who was doing his best to staunch the bleeding on his brow with a cloth from his bag. No sooner had the words come from his mouth when Marlene was at his side.

'Are you alright?' she asked.

Sirius looked confused. 'I—yeah. You?'

'Fine,' Marlene said.

They stood in awkward silence for a moment as James, Remus and Peter tried their best to blend into the castle walls.

'See you at breakfast,' Sirius finally said.

'Yeah,' Marlene said and she took off down the hallway. The others began to walk. James could feel a massive headache coming on from where Mulciber had banged his head into the ground; Sirius had managed to get several good licks in on the hulking Slytherin, but he had managed to incapacitate Sirius with the head wound. Peter looked shaky and a little green, but otherwise alright. The Prewetts fell into step with them looking none the worse for wear.

'So what was that all about?' Gideon asked cheerfully.

'If this is what happens every morning, we're going to have to start waking up earlier,' Fabian added.

James laughed. 'Talking about the Combat Championship.'

'Which apparently Professor Fletcher intends to bet on,' Gideon mused as they entered the breakfast hall. As they were not the first to enter, everyone had already begun taking in the injuries of the various combatants. Professor Slughorn stood by the door looking grave.

'And did you fall down the stairs as well?' he asked in an accusatory tone.

'No, we fell out of bed,' Sirius deadpanned and they moved along as Slughorn glared after them. They sat at the Gryffindor table across from Frank, Alice and Lily who goggled at them.

'What the hell happened?' Frank asked.

'Small disagreement,' James said.

'Sirius, your head—' Alice pointed.

Sirius waved her off. 'It's fine.'

'Was it Severus?' Lily asked quietly.

James looked at her and sighed. 'Not just him. It kind of turned into Gryffindor versus Slytherin.'

Frank stabbed his eggs with his fork. 'I'm going to start following you everywhere, I always miss these things,' he said, earning a slightly reproachful look from Alice and Lily.

'What started the fight?' Lily asked in that same quiet voice, her attention once more focussed on James, whose head was beginning to pound more and more with each passing second.

Sirius looked at James. 'Yeah, I missed that part. What did Snivellus say?'

James found he suddenly didn't want to talk about it and he had lost his appetite. 'See you in class,' he said and without another word he strode out of the breakfast hall, ignoring the feeling of eyes following him out the door. He knew why he was upset—he had seen the look of confusion on Snape's face when he had accused him of leaking information to the Death Eaters. James' instincts were telling him that Snape had not conveyed the information, and the look of surprise indicated he had no idea who had done it—meaning none of his gang had.

But if not them…then who?


	12. Friends and Magic

12

That day saw the news that the first Hogsmeade Weekend was approaching in a little over a week. Time seemed to crawl during that span—Lily seemed to keep a guarded distance from James and the others after the brawl, and Professor McGonagall had echoed Professor Slughorn's questions on the matter. Evidently, they had been unable to get any information out of Mundungus Fletcher, and neither the Slytherins nor the Gryffindors were offering up information of any sort.

Sirius and Mary were keeping their faux-relationship going at every turn now. It seemed that their first excursion on this front had made them more comfortable, and James could now barely turn a corner without finding them wrapped in passionate embrace, kissing as if there would be no tomorrow. To James, this was a mild inconvenience as he had to skirt around them and try to shut out the somewhat disturbing sounds of their affections.

It was having an altogether unpleasant effect on Marlene, who looked on the verge of tears upon seeing this several times. Davey Gudgeon barely seemed able to get her attention when she was focussed on Sirius, and she was prone to stamping off into the girls' dormitory to be alone which would frequently draw Alice and Lily behind her.

On the eve of the visit to Hogsmeade, Remus and Peter were studying a particularly different Charm by the fireplace. James—having already mastered it—was practicing Transfiguring random objects. A pincushion into a porcupine, a rock into a turtle, and then back again. Sirius strode over and plopped down next to them, completely unaware that he had a rather large lipstick smear all over his face.

'Where's the rest of you?' Remus asked without looking up.

'What?' Sirius asked in confusion.

James yawned. 'You know, the rest of you—Mary. You spend so much time attached to each other that we've come to regard you as a gestalt entity. Marius, if you will,' he said to a laugh from Remus and Peter.

'Just because I'm getting some snog doesn't mean you have to be jealous,' Sirius said.

'Right. Jealous, that's what we are,' James chuckled. 'Jealous of the allergic reaction you're having to her makeup?'

Sirius touched his face in alarm and noticed his skin swelling where her lipstick was smeared. 'Damn,' he murmured. 'Must be something new…'

'It suits you,' Peter said, stifling a laugh. He had to duck a moment later as Sirius whipped a cushion at him. 'So are we going to be seeing you in Hogsmeade tomorrow? Or are you going to be sucking face with Mary the whole time?'

Sirius snorted. 'Of course I'll make time for you guys, you know that,' he said.

'You haven't lately,' Remus observed, again without looking up.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'You know, sometimes I wonder if you're actually reading or not. You seem to follow our conversations just fine.'

'It's called multi-tasking,' Remus said, his mouth twitching into a smile.

James turned his attention from the turtle he had just transfigured back into a rock. 'So that's a yes then? You don't have any plans to go to Hogsmeade with Mary tomorrow?'

Sirius turned slightly pink underneath the makeup and the swelling. 'Well…we have to meet up for a bit…' he said. When James sighed, Sirius looked indignant. 'Well look, I have to keep it up to make Marlene jealous, don't I?'

'I think you've gone past that point,' James said evenly.

'What do you mean?' Sirius asked.

James rolled his eyes. 'Moony, you're better at this. Maybe you should explain.'

Remus sighed and finally looked up from his book. 'If you weren't so busy trying to suck the lips off of Mary's face, you would see that you have had the desired effect on Marlene. She's ignoring Davey, she gets so inconsolable she has to retreat to the dormitories where Alice and Lily have to comfort her. You're also blinded by the impact you're having on their friendship.'

'Whose friendship?' Sirius asked.

Remus inhaled and looked up at the ceiling as if he was praying for patience. 'Mary, Marlene, Lily and Alice,' he said in a voice of determined calm. 'They are friends, Sirius. By playing Marlene and Mary's emotions off each other, you are putting a strain on them. Alice and Lily are getting more than irritated.'

'How do you know that?' James asked.

Remus shrugged. 'Lily talks to me from time to time.'

'She's been keeping her distance from me since the fight,' James said. When Remus nodded, James leaned forward. 'Has she said something to you about it?'

'Nothing you shouldn't have guessed already,' Remus said. 'She's furious with Snape, but she also doesn't like it when you two fight. You also haven't really explained to her—or anyone for that matter—how that fight started.'

James shifted. 'You were there…did you tell her?'

Remus shook his head. 'No, I figured if you didn't want to tell her than it wasn't my place to do so either. I told her you had a good reason.'

'You think it was a good reason?' James asked, feeling slightly relieved.

'Of course I do,' Remus said. 'That doesn't mean I thought you needed to hit him, but I could certainly understand your anger. And once the fight was in full swing, I wasn't about to just leave you to it,' he said. 'Marauders always have each other's backs.'

Peter cleared his throat. 'Maybe you should talk to her,' he suggested.

'Who? Me?' James and Sirius asked at once, causing all four of them to chuckle.

'Both of you,' Peter said. 'Sirius, you should talk to Marlene. James, you should talk to Lily. You don't want to hurt anyone,' he said.

James nodded, to himself as well as the others. 'I think you're right, Peter,' he said as he rose from plush chair he was sitting in just in time to see Lily coming down the stairs from the girls' dormitory. 'Alright, Evans?' he asked pleasantly.

'Can we talk?' Lily asked in a cool tone.

James was taken aback, but recovered quickly. 'Right this way,' he said and they stepped out the portrait hole. He cast a glance over his shoulder to see Sirius talking to Alice at the base of the staircase to the girls' dormitory as it shut.

'We need to talk about Sirius,' Lily said as they moved. She was a step ahead of him as they went and her tone was diplomatic, but James got the distinct impression that she had a speech prepared.

'I'm listening,' James said.

Lily cast him a glance. 'I know he's your best friend, but he's making life really difficult for a few people,' she said slowly. 'Snogging Mary publicly at every opportunity is beginning to have an…unpleasant impact,' she said.

'You can stop being so vague, I know you're talking about Marlene,' James said with a sigh.

'Surely he can see he's hurting her,' Lily said.

James chuckled. 'You're giving him too much credit. He hadn't rightly realized that until we pointed it out to him.'

'When was this?' Lily asked.

'Just now,' James replied.

Lily snorted. 'Great sense of timing,' she said with a dry laugh.

James smiled. 'I'm sorry it's been so difficult, Evans,' he said. 'Really. I don't think he meant for it to get this bad.'

'If he wants to date Mary, that's his business,' Lily said evenly. 'But he doesn't need to be so public about it.'

'Oh, he doesn't want to date Mary,' James said dismissively.

Lily looked confused. 'He what?'

James sighed as he leaned against a suit of armour as they both came to a stop. 'Long story short? Sirius was really broken up that Marlene decided to end things over the summer. He thought he was okay with it until he saw Marlene and Davey snogging on the train. He and Mary came to a…mutual agreement. She would snog him to make Marlene jealous, and he would snog her to make someone else jealous.'

Lily's jaw had dropped. 'He's…using Mary to make Marlene jealous…?' she asked.

'Yes,' James said.

Lily exhaled sharply. 'That stupid, baboon-faced, simple-minded, idiotic—' she began.

'Easy, there,' James said.

'Easy?' Lily hissed. 'This has been brutal! Marlene and Mary can't even be in the same room right now, Marlene's so angry,' she snapped. 'And this has all been a game? A ploy? And you knew?'

James was somewhat flabbergasted. 'Evans, it wasn't our idea and we certainly tried to talk him out of it,' he said.

'And Mary was in on this?' Lily went on. 'And REMUS knew? Seriously, who doesn't know? Is it just Marlene, Alice and I?'

'Er…Alice knew,' James said.

'WAS I THE ONLY ONE WHO DIDN'T?' Lily thundered.

'No, no,' James said, waving his arms in a placating gesture. 'Look—they each had someone they wanted to make jealous.'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Now it's your turn to stop being vague. The only person Mary McDonald could possibly want to make jealous is you,' she said as she stared down into the main hall.

'I'm sorry,' James said. 'We did try to convince Sirius not to do it…but if it helps, I think we've convinced him to talk to Marlene,' he said in as encouraging a tone as he could manage.

Lily was quiet for a moment. 'Did it work?' she asked.

'I don't know, really,' James said. 'We only just talked to him before you and I left the common room.'

Lily snorted. 'That's not what I meant, Potter,' she said. She looked at him with a strained facial expression. 'Did Mary succeed in making you jealous?'

James blinked. The conversation had taken an unexpected turn. 'No,' he said evenly.

'No?' Lily asked.

Now James snorted. 'Evans, haven't you gotten a handle on me yet?' he asked. 'Mary is…neat. She's a good Quidditch player, and she's kind of funny to watch at a party when she gets into the Firewhisky. But I'm…not interested. Why are you asking?'

'I don't know,' Lily said quickly, staring at the ground.

James bit his lip. 'Does it make you jealous that she's trying to make me jealous?' he asked.

Lily laughed. 'We sound like first years,' she muttered.

'You're dodging the question,' James pressed.

Lily threw up her arms. 'I don't know. Maybe? You asked if I'd gotten a handle on you yet, and the real answer is no. Just when I think I'm getting to know you—be that good or bad—you throw me for a complete loop.'

'You mean the fight,' James said quietly.

'I know you don't want to talk about it,' Lily said, throwing her arms up. 'And I'm not asking you to.'

James cleared his throat. 'Snape insulted Engelland,' he said in as even a tone as he could manage. Lily stared at him with an unreadable face. 'He said anyone who was willing to die for me can't have had much to live for to begin with.'

Lily's mouth opened and shut several times and James was alarmed to see her eyes suddenly shine with tears. 'That's…horrible,' she said, her voice cracking as she sank to the ground and buried her face in her hands. 'Potter,' she groaned. 'What the hell has happened to him?'

James felt awkward. Being put in a position to console Lily about a person whom he profoundly loathed was not ideal. 'It's…probably me,' James said. 'I bring out the worst in him.'

Lily sniffed miserably. 'He was never like this,' she whispered. 'Outside of school…when it was just us…he was always so nice. So thoughtful. He always said the right thing at the right time. Well, not always, but most of the time,' she said on second thought. 'But now…it seems that every choice he makes takes him further and further away from me, and he wants me to follow him but I just can't because he's making the wrong choices.' She looked up at James, tears streaming down her face. 'I don't know how to save him.'

James sighed as he sat down cross-legged on the floor across from her. 'Evans, you know how he feels about you,' he said quietly. 'He's just not that good at showing it.'

'Of course I know how he feels,' Lily sniffed. 'You and him aren't exactly hard to read.'

'Comparing us again,' James joked.

Lily sniffed and laughed at the same time. 'It bears repeating that you two are more alike than you know,' she said. 'I just wish he would stop and realize what it is he's doing.'

'Have you talked to him since the summer?' James asked.

'No,' Lily said. 'Between not talking to him and Marlene being angry at Mary…it's been awful,' she said.

James bit his lip. 'Maybe that's where you should start,' he said.

Lily looked at him suspiciously now. 'You hate him,' she said. A statement, not a question.

'I can't lie. I do,' James said.

'So why are you trying to help me patch things up with him?' she asked.

James smiled sadly. 'I told you once before, Evans,' he said. 'I care more about you being happy than I do some stupid feud with Snape.'

Lily smiled, but her eyes were wet again. 'You see? There you go again,' she muttered. 'Just when I think you're one of the world's biggest prats for keeping me in the dark about Sirius and Mary, you go and say something like that,' she said.

James laughed. 'I'm not mysterious, Evans,' he said.

'Don't let me interrupt you while you're on a role,' Lily said with a wet laugh. 'How do you propose I fix things with Snape?'

'Well, it does take two to dance,' James said sagely. 'He'll be more than willing to meet with you…and you two obviously want to be friends. But there's some big differences you've had, some big gaps to bridge. He might not answer all of your questions in the way you want.'

Lily sighed. 'I know,' she said.

'Try inviting him to get together in Hogsmeade tomorrow,' James suggested. 'Just meet for tea or a butterbeer and try having a conversation.'

Lily wiped her nose on her sleeve. 'Thanks, Potter,' she said. 'I'll try it.'

James stood and extended a hand to her. 'Shall we head back?' he asked. 'Sirius may have actually talked to Marlene by this stage,' he said.

Lily smiled and took his hand, allowing him to help her to her feet. She stood there for a moment and then embraced him, planting a kiss on his cheek. James felt as if all the blood in his body has suddenly rushed to his head, causing his temperature to rise by several degrees. He stared at the floor, suddenly feeling as anxious, nervous and elated at the same time as he had on his first day at Hogwarts.

'Thanks,' she said as she stepped away and they began to walk. 'You're alright, Potter.'

James regained himself and offered her his best smile. 'It's a kind of magic,' he said.


	13. Plans and Leaps

13

As it turned out, Sirius and Marlene had not talked. It was for no lack of trying on Sirius' part, however. Alice had agreed to convey his request to Marlene, but when she had re-emerged it was to convey a request of Marlene's that involved Sirius throwing himself off the highest tower of the school. Sirius had then spent the better part of the time that James and Lily were out of the common room attempting to scale the staircase to the girls' dormitory without any success. Truth be told, he was quite bruised on his elbows and knees when they got back.

'Maybe you should just try catching up with her in Hogsmeade tomorrow,' Lily suggested as Sirius, panting heavily, was preparing for another attempt.

James smirked. 'Or, you could throw yourself off the highest tower of the school,' he said.

'Har har,' Sirius panted.

'Why is she refusing to talk to you?' James asked.

Remus chuckled. 'He told her about his arrangement with Mary,' he said. 'She was displeased.'

Lily grimaced. 'You should have warmed up to that,' she said.

'It was Moony's idea. Like ripping off a band-aid, he said,' Sirius said with a glare at Remus who raised his arms in a gesture of surrender.

'You knew she'd be angry either way,' he defended.

Peter was doing little to hide his unabashed amusement at the situation. 'Maybe we should all get to bed and come at this fresh tomorrow.'

'I think that's a good idea,' Remus said.

Lily smirked at Sirius. 'I'm guessing there's going to be some chatter going on tonight…so I'll see if I can calm her down somewhat for you.'

Sirius blinked in genuine surprise. 'You'd do that for me?' he asked.

Lily stepped forward threateningly and her tone was icy. 'I don't like seeing my friend miserable, and I'm sure your friends are in the same boat,' she said. 'But if you ever try to pull a stunt like this again, it will be YOU getting dropped from the Astronomy Tower by your underwear, Sirius Black. Am I making myself understood?'

Sirius nodded dumbly. Lily was right in his face, her finger pointed up into his chin. She gave him one last glare and stalked off up the staircase and closed the door behind her, leaving James, Sirius, Remus and Peter at the bottom of the staircase.

Frank Longbottom was still lounging in a chair reading a book, which he closed. 'So, what's the plan for tomorrow, then?' he asked brightly.

'What do you mean?' James asked.

'I'm inviting myself along to Hogsmeade with you,' he said with a grin. 'Alice too, of course.'

Remus laughed. 'I don't think you need an invitation, but it's shaping up to be pretty boring. I'm guessing we'll all be watching Sirius try to win back Marlene.'

'I know better than to believe nothing will happen spontaneously. If there's going to be a fight, I want to be there for it,' Frank said earnestly.

James chuckled as he moved over towards Frank. 'When did you get so bloodthirsty?' he asked.

Frank smirked. 'I want any future Death Eaters to get it into their heads that I am someone they don't want to trifle with.'

'Fair enough,' James replied. 'So are we all headed to bed then?'

Sirius flopped down in a chair near the fire. 'I'm an idiot,' he said sadly.

'True, but that's part of your charm,' James quipped. At the sad look on Sirius' face, he softened his tone. 'Once she's calmed down, she'll realize the lengths you were going to and why you went to them. It may not have been the brightest way to do it, but we're not always going to make the brightest choices.'

Sirius stared at the fire and then shifted his gaze to James. 'Do you still respect me?' he said.

James didn't bat an eye. 'Of course I do,' he said. 'It's not like you mislead an innocent young lady. Mary knew what she was doing, too,' he said. 'Come to think of it, how did she react to the dissolution of your agreement?'

Sirius shrugged. 'She seemed fine,' he said. 'She said she'd figure out another way to make you realize you were meant to be. She sounds like you when you're on about Lily.'

James chuckled. 'Should I be afraid?' he asked.

Sirius smiled faintly. 'Maybe,' he replied.

James grabbed Sirius' shoulder. 'You're my brother, Sirius,' he said quietly so the others wouldn't hear from where they were talking about their trip to Hogsmeade. 'And Marauders always have each other's backs. It'd take a hell of a lot more than a little lovers' quarrel to come between us.'

Sirius smiled more broadly now and he leaned forward to bump his forehead into James'. 'Thanks, James,' he said.

'Now, let's get some sleep,' James said.

Sirius stood up. 'How would you win her back?' he asked.

James shrugged. 'That's Moony and Peter's specialty, isn't it? I've been trying to win Evans' heart for four years with nothing doing.'

Sirius snorted. 'Moony's advice backfired in my face tonight, so I'm asking you,' he said.

James contemplated that for a moment as they headed up the staircase to the boys' dormitory. 'I guess I'd throw myself off the tower,' he said with a laugh.

James awoke the following morning to the sound of a bird singing, followed by the familiar 'splat' that meant the Whomping Willow had claimed another victim. He stretched and sat up in bed, feeling refreshed and re-energized. For the first time in a while, his dreams had not been plagued by visions of Rochefort coming to kill him. Instead, he had pleasantly re-lived his conversation from the previous evening with Lily, where she had kissed him on the cheek at the end. He knew a slight pang in his heart for the fact that he had basically encouraged her to extend an olive branch to Snape, but he knew that it was best for her.

'Rise and shine, Marauders,' he said brightly as he hopped out of bed. Remus was already tying his shoes, having adorned his shabby travelling cloak already. 'Peter, up get you get, the day has begun!' he called as Peter suddenly rolled out of bed, evidently taking the kamikaze approach to waking up in the morning as he crashed to the floor with a solid thud.

The blinds on Sirius' four poster were drawn, so James walked over to it. 'Come on, Sirius, up you get,' he said as he ripped them open. But Sirius' bed was made and empty, with no sign of him in there. 'That's odd…he never wakes up before us,' he said.

Remus shrugged. 'Maybe he was hoping to catch Marlene before we went to Hogsmeade?'

'Well, we'll meet him down in the main hall, then,' James said. 'See you down in the common room!' he bounded down the staircase to find Frank and Alice were waiting for them. 'Morning lovebirds,' James said with a grin as Alice planted a kiss on Frank's cheek. 'Did Sirius come down?'

Frank frowned and shook his head. 'Haven't seen him, but we've only been here for about twenty minutes,' he said.

Other students were emerging and ready to go. James cast a glance over to the girls' dormitory to see Lily and Marlene emerge with Mary a few steps behind. 'How did things go last night on your end?' James hissed to Alice.

'Marlene's softened on Mary a bit, but she's a bit put out with Sirius,' Alice hissed back.

Frank looked thoughtful. 'What did she have to say about Davey Gudgeon?' he asked.

Alice shrugged. 'She said it was a rebound thing, that she wasn't handling the breakup well either. But she's mad that Sirius deliberately tried to get under her skin, because that's not what she was trying to do,' she explained.

'Do you think she'll forgive him?' James asked.

'Well, she's adamant that he's not going to,' Alice whispered back. 'But if I had to bet, I'd say she will,' she said. She stopped whispering as Lily, Mary and Marlene came over.

'Where's Sirius?' Marlene asked in a tentative voice.

James shrugged. 'Not sure,' he replied. 'He was up and gone before the rest of us woke up.'

Lily looked amused. 'How do you function without your other half, Potter?' he said.

'I've been doing so just fine for three years, Evans, since you still haven't agreed to go out with me,' he quipped causing Lily to flush pink. Alice, Marlene and Frank laughed though. Mary pursed her lips but said nothing. 'Shall we talk together?' James asked as Remus and Peter emerged from the dormitory.

Alice beamed. 'That sounds great,' she said. They exited the common room and began walking together. Frank and Alice lead the way arm in arm, talking about going to the Three Broomsticks. Marlene and Lily were next, and James could overhear Marlene asking if Lily wanted to do the same, but Lily had an engagement which James knew to mean she was meeting Snape, at Honeydukes.

Remus and James were walking together, and James noticed with a start that Mary and Peter were in animated discussion behind him. James looked away with a smile, briefly wondering if this was Mary's new plan.

They arrived in the main hall and Marlene did her best to blend in with the group in case Sirius was waiting, but he was nowhere to be seen. James saw that for once, Snape was standing alone without his gang and apart from the Slytherins. He had done his best to tame his greasy hair and his robes looked freshly laundered. James sighed as Lily bid farewell, saying she would see everyone in Hogsmeade and strode over to him.

'You alright?' Remus asked and James nodded. 'I never asked what you two talked about last night,' he continued in a tone that was equal parts apologetic and curious.

James nodded towards Lily and Snape, who seemed to be awkwardly making their way through small talk as they waited for Filch to get to them with his Probity Probes. 'That, really,' he said. 'She was miserable about Snape, and I suggested she talk to him.'

'That's very nice of you,' Remus said softly.

'I keep trying to tell myself that,' James replied with a dry laugh.

Remus pursed his lips. 'You have no idea the effect you have on her when you do something as thoughtful as that, James,' he said. James looked at him in confusion, but they were up for the probity probes now.

'Easy there, Filch, shouldn't you buy us dinner first?' Gideon Prewett cracked as they went through, causing a tumult of laughter from the other students.

'Come back here and say that!' Filch snapped but there was already a sea of students between them. James' humor was short lived, as Filch seemed to probe every remaining student with added force as a result.

Remus rubbed his side where he had taken a particularly hard jab as they walked away. 'I think Filch enjoys his job too much,' he muttered.

'Still no sign of Sirius,' James murmured as Peter, Mary, Frank and Alice joined them. Marlene finally appeared, evidently having contented herself that Sirius was not hiding behind another student to jump out at her.

Professor McGonagall was waiting to escort the students to Hogsmeade when she squinted up over top of the students. 'Is that a student?' she muttered, putting her hand over her eyes to block out the sun.

'Marlene McKinnon!' boomed a voice across the school grounds and James whipped around and located the Astronomy tower. He knew in an instant who it was and what was going to happen. Sirius was a speck in the distance, but he was clearly standing on the highest ledge available to him. 'I've been an idiot! And I apologize!'

James glanced at Marlene whose jaw had dropped in a desperate attempt to shake hands with the ground beneath them.

'As per your request, I am now going to hurl myself off the highest tower of the school to show how much I care about you!' Sirius boomed, causing a mixture of 'oohs', 'aaahs', gasps and laughter to ripple amongst the crowd.

'I—but—SIRIUS, DON'T—' Marlene began, but Sirius entered free fall only a moment later.

James stood stock still as time seemed to freeze. He had no idea what Sirius' plan was, how he intended to land or what he expected to happen. As he plummeted towards the ground, James had a brief flash of fear that he was going to end up as a very large, Sirius flavoured pancake.

But just about ten feet from the ground, Sirius stopped falling and floated, cutting off the strangled screams that had emerged from a few of the gathered Hogwarts students.

Professor Flitwick emerged with a sigh, flicking his wand and allowing Sirius to touch down gingerly on the ground. There was applause and cheering from the students and Flitwick appeared to admonish Sirius before the latter took off at a run to join the others. He ran straight past several students who tried to give him a high five or congratulations and stopped short in front of Marlene, who was staring at him.

'I'm sorry,' Sirius said quickly.

Marlene stared at him, and James noticed that the previously clamouring crowd had suddenly died down to hear their exchange. It was all silent in the school yard. 'You really are an idiot,' Marlene breathed as she grabbed Sirius by the shoulder.

'Yeah, I am,' Sirius said. 'But I'm an idiot for you.'

James heard an audible sigh from some of the female students and bit his fist to avoid laughing. Marlene ended the speculation a moment later by pulling Sirius into a rough embrace and planting a kiss firmly on his lips. A great cheer went up from the crowd, which was quickly quelled by McGonagall. 'Well then, off we go to Hogsmeade,' she said crisply. She approached Sirius and Marlene and looked down her nose at the two of them.

'Well done, Mr. Black,' she said.

'Thanks, Professor,' Sirius beamed.

'Ten points from Gryffindor for the stunt,' she added, but Sirius didn't seem to care as he and Marlene linked arms and began to walk after her as she lead everyone towards Hogsmeade.


	14. Butterbeers and Bodies

14

Everyone was in a great mood on the walk to Hogsmeade. Even the usual verbal sniping that occurred between the Slytherins and the Gryffindors seemed to take a backseat. James could see Lily and Snape walking up far ahead close to Professor McGonagall in deep conversation. Frank and Alice were still a few feet in front of him, Frank with his arm around Alice's shoulders. Peter and Mary were several paces behind James, and Marlene and Sirius were directly to his side.

'You don't have to pretend that he's not there,' Marlene said to Sirius with a bashful look at James.

James raised his arms. 'I don't want to come between you two, but I'm certainly curious as to how Sirius figured out his little flight plan.'

Sirius laughed. 'It was a gamble,' he admitted. 'I was kind of counting on someone to catch me at the last moment. Glad it was Flitwick.'

Marlene stared at him as James whistled. 'Wicked,' James said at the same time that Marlene said 'Are you crazy?'

'Most certainly,' Sirius said with a wink. 'But the risk is what makes it fun, isn't it?' he said as he clasped her hand and kissed it. That seemed to melt through Marlene as she sighed and leaned her head onto his shoulder. James took his cue and walked on up ahead through the crowd of students until he caught up with Remus, the only other one of his friends who was not paired off with a member of the female persuasion. Remus' nose was predictably buried in a book.

'Can't even enjoy a Hogsmeade visit, Moony?' James asked.

Remus chuckled as he put his book back in his bag. 'I will once we're there,' he said. 'Pretty stunning manoeuvre that Sirius pulled, hm?'

'You can say that again,' James sighed. 'I didn't think he'd actually do it.'

Remus chuckled and then cast an appraising glance at James. 'Are you alright?' he asked in a hushed voice so no one around them would hear.

'Why wouldn't I be?' James asked.

Remus shrugged. 'Lily's talking to Severus again, and it seems just about everyone else has paired off,' he added in a somewhat rueful tone.

'Should I be asking if you're okay?' James countered.

'You could, and I wouldn't lie…not really,' Remus countered glumly.

James blinked. 'I'm sorry,' he said.

'Nothing you can do about it, really,' Remus said with a small smile. 'Nothing I can really do about it either.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' James said. 'Moony, you're one of the smartest students in our year, and you've been in the thick of a fair few pranks and battles. You could probably have your pick of the lot.'

Remus smiled faintly. 'That's not what I meant.'

James frowned. 'Is this about your furry little problem?' he asked.

'It's always about that,' Remus said quietly. 'You three found out and—mercifully—haven't cut me off because of it.'

James felt a surge of anger inside of him. 'Anyone who would cut someone as great as you out of their lives, Moony, for something you have absolutely no control over is absolutely not worth your time. I'd happily line them all up and give them a slap in the face for that.'

'Point being,' Remus said, ignoring James' remarks. 'I just think…it would be hard for someone to accept.'

'Listen, Remus,' James said. 'You have family that love you. You have friends that accept you. You have people trying to help you like Dumbledore. You know who else has that?'

'Who?' Remus asked.

'All of us,' James said. 'You are just like any other person. We all have problems. Yours just manifests itself in a slightly more terrifying way once a month,' he said and Remus laughed. 'My point being,' James went on, turning Remus' words around, 'is that there's a girl out there who'll be able to see you for you. Not for Moony.' Remus looked hesitant. 'Or a guy,' James added and Remus snorted and shoved him playfully.

'Thanks, James,' he said.

'And failing that, you've always got me,' James added.

Remus cast a glance up at Lily and Snape. 'Until Lily wizens up,' he corrected.

James shrugged. 'According to her, Satan will be wearing ice skates to work before that happens,' he quipped and they laughed again as they entered Hogsmeade village. Everyone seemed to gather together – Frank and Alice, Sirius and Marlene, Mary and Peter, and James and Remus. 'So where are we all headed?' James asked.

'Three Broomsticks for a Butterbeer?' Frank suggested and there was a murmur of agreement and they all headed into Madam Rosmerta's pub. She waved cheerily from behind the bar as they made themselves at home at a table. She sauntered over and placed down several coasters before flicking her wand to send eight butterbeers flying over. 'And how are we all doing today? Potter, I'm sorry to hear that there's no Quidditch at the school this year.'

James clasped a hand over his heart. 'I must admit, there are nights where I do not sleep for crying into my pillow,' he said dramatically drawing a chuckle from the crowd.

'Well, the Combat Championship should keep you all pretty well occupied. My Uncle made it to the Final Twenty when he went to Hogwarts,' she said with a wistful look in her eye. 'I always hoped we'd get a chance to try it each year, but alas, I had no such luck.'

'What did your Uncle say about it?' Alice asked.

Madam Rosmerta leaned on their table. 'That it was a lot of fun,' she said with relish. 'I mean, the students who are competing in it aren't supposed to get a lot of help or advice from people who aren't, that was one of the understood rules of the thing when it used to be a more regular occurrence. But expect anything.'

'What does that mean?' Peter asked.

'People can do unpredictable things in a contest like this,' she said. 'I wish I was playing!'

'Seems there's more than a few people who are envious of us,' Frank remarked.

Madam Rosmerta nodded fervently. 'They used to do it every seven years, but wars also used to be more frequent back in the day,' she said. 'During peacetime there never seemed much reason to do it, as combat took on lesser importance. But now…' her face darkened and she suddenly looked as though she felt she had said too much.

'With Voldemort on the rise,' James supplied for her.

She slapped a hand to her chest and looked around. 'Of course leave it to you, Potter, to not have a care with that name,' she said with a nervous laugh.

'He's just a man,' James said quietly. 'There's no need to fear saying his name.'

'Well, enjoy your drinks,' Madam Rosmerta said and she shuffled off to the bar.

Marlene cast a glance back at her. 'This really has people scared,' she said. 'At least there hasn't been any news in the Prophet about any more attacks.'

'That's because the Death Eaters have started focussing on Muggles,' Frank said in a whisper. 'Lucius Malfoy's face showed up again in one of those strange stationary sketches that they do. That's at least four attacks he's been involved in since the summer.'

'Malfoy,' Sirius muttered as he shook his head. 'Always knew he would go dark side. Practically shouted it for the world to hear when he was at Hogwarts.'

'We still seem to have a few students looking to follow him,' Remus added. 'Avery, Mulciber…'

Mary shifted uncomfortably. 'Can we talk about something else?' she asked. James recalled last year an instance where, no one could prove it, Mulciber had employed an Imperius Curse on Mary unsuccessfully. He had somehow managed to wipe his wand of any spells it had cast, rendering Prior Incantatem useless in seeing if he had indeed done it.

'Sorry,' Remus said with a smile. 'The Combat Championship should be pretty fun.'

'Oh I'm looking forward to that,' Marlene said with a sigh. 'I wonder what the prize will be.' She ignored the looks that Sirius, Remus, Peter and James exchanged. 'How does it start? I mean, do you all just wake up and the game is on?'

Remus shook his head. 'You get taken out into the courtyard, and then one person per minute gets a Portkey that takes them into a random point in the school. That was instituted in the second Combat Championship. In the first, they let students enter one at a time, but several students began lying in wait and just picking off the new arrivals. The Championship ended pretty quickly that year.'

'You seem to know a lot about this,' Mary said.

Remus smiled. 'I have a lot of time to read,' he replied.

'Well, at least that gives us an idea of what to expect,' Marlene said. 'I'm assuming you four are in an alliance already?' she said with a smirk at James.

'Room for more,' James said with a wink to Sirius who smiled appreciatively.

Marlene grinned. 'Thanks, but I've got one of my own,' she said, causing Sirius to look at her in surprise. 'What? You can't be the only one who wants to win,' she said with a dark laugh.

Sirius shook his head. 'You're frightening,' he said.

Frank's turned his head to stare at the door. 'Anyone hear that?' he asked. The others fell silent at the table, but it was still hard to hear anything over the chatter in the Three Broomsticks. 'And there, again,' Frank said, his face deepening into a frown.

'I don't hear anything,' Peter said after a moment.

'Maybe you're part dog,' Marlene said to a chuckle from the rest.

The next sound left no doubt to anyone, however. A loud scream came from outside the Three Broomsticks, followed by shouting and the sounds of crashes and bangs. 'Wands,' Frank said immediately and everyone stood from the table brandishing theirs as Madam Rosmerta rushed past.

'Everyone stay down,' she ordered, but before she could get to the door it opened, and the sight before them caused her to stop dead in her tracks and clap her hands over her mouth. Mary screamed from across the table and James felt his blood run cold.

Standing in the doorway was a man who by all rights should have been dead, and frankly, looked like he was. His eyes were a milky white, his mouth hanging open dumbly. His flesh was grey and mottled with scars and sores, his hair falling in greasy strands around his face and his tattered clothes hanging off his bony body. He opened his mouth and rasped, a terrible, awful moan that caused the other patrons in the bar to scream out in terror. Madam Rosmerta was shouting something about a back door, but the man seemed to have focussed his unseeing gaze on James, and in an instant, James had a terrible thought—that this man was here for him.

'Stupefy!' Frank yelled, snapping everyone back to their senses. The spell hit the man dead center, causing him to stagger backwards, but it did not stun him. Instead the man lurched into the bar, slamming a table aside as he stomped towards Frank. 'Stupefy!' Frank yelled, and his spell was joined by the stunning spells of Alice, James, Sirius and Remus. The five spells collided with the man and he fell backwards to the floor, but he began to get up right away, the stunning spell seeming to have no hold upon him.

'There's another one!' Peter yelled, pointing at the door where two more people had arrived. Another man looking almost identical the first one appeared, and an awful woman was with him. One of her eyes was missing and she pointed at James, her mouth opening into a guttural snarl.

'Confringo!' Remus shouted and the first man burst into flames. He swatted at himself, following to his knees and letting out a terrible roar as the flames engulfed him. 'That seemed to work! Now!'

'Confringo!' cried the group as a whole, and suddenly nearly the entire front of the Three Broomsticks was ablaze as the two creatures in the doorway fell to the ground.

'Aguamenti,' Sirius called after a moment and the others quickly joined him, extinguishing the blaze so Madam Rosmerta's shop would not burn to the ground. The three bodies were still stirring on the ground. 'Why aren't they dead?' Sirius asked.

Frank shook his head. 'We need to leave, now,' he said. 'This has to be the work of the Death Eaters.'

They ran out the front door of the pub to see McGonagall was herding students up the street. 'This way!' she called. Several Hogsmeade Villagers had surrounded the students she had gathered, and all were wielding their wands like torches. More and more of these dead bodies that had decided to walk had surrounded them, but they seemed to keep their distance from the fire.

'Take this lot to the school, Professor! We'll stay here to round up more!' called Gideon Prewett as he sent a fiery blast into the chest of an onrushing dead body. McGonagall looked about to argue, but another fresh wave of the horrible monstrosities hurried into the streets. Fabian waved his wand over his head and a great, fiery dragon burst forth into the air and flew at the bodies.

'Go on, James, go!' he shouted.

'We're not leaving you,' James shot back earnestly.

Gideon laughed. 'Well, don't just stand there, then!' he said.

'Confringo!' James shouted, striking one of the dead men in the face and sending it crashing to the ground.

'Nice one,' Fabian said. 'Gideon, yes please, mate!'

James wasn't aware of what the short hand meant, but the two had combined their wands in the air and pointed them towards a group of the dead bodies. A massive fireball the size of a small house emerged and rippled down the street, engulfing several of the bodies. But more and more of them seemed to appear.

'We need to fall back! Follow McGonagall!'

'No good!' Fabian called. 'Still two students missing!'

'Who?' Sirius shouted.

'Evans and Snape,' Gideon shouted as he sent another fiery blast into the midst of the oncoming foes. James felt his blood run cold and he tried to run through in his mind where Lily and Snape would have gone. The Three Broomsticks had been empty, and Lily had said they were going to meet at Honeydukes.

'I'll check the shops,' James shouted over the sound of crackling flames and curses.

Fabian shook his head. 'Don't be daft, James! If you get cornered these things will tear you apart!'

'I think I know where they are, and they might need help!' James said.

Fabian and Gideon exchanged a glance. 'Right then, lead the way, we'll cover you,' they shouted. As a group they made their way down the streets. James took point, but it was Gideon and Fabian who did the most damage to the crushing stream of dead bodies, their fiery dragons taking out several where James' single flame blasts would only incapacitate one. They made their way to Honeydukes where James ducked inside.

'Evans!' he called. 'Evans!' He looked down every isle and behind the counter, but it was no good. The shopkeeper had abandoned the store and there was no sign of them anywhere. 'Damnit, Evans, where are you…' James wondered. He had two realistic options—if Snape and Lily had decided to sit down somewhere to talk, the other two spots were the Hog's Head, which he could not see Lily entering, or Madam Puddifoot's, the couples' hangout. Under normal circumstances, his stomach would have lurched at the thought of Lily and Snape being there together, but he grasped this as his last shot.

'One more spot to check!' he called. 'This way!'

They ran through the streets again and it seemed like the flames had caught on to most of Hogsmeade now. Buildings burned everywhere, and the shouts of the villagers had receded into the distance. James wondered where everyone had run to.

They rounded a corner and were suddenly faced with a stream of the dead bodies coming their way. 'In here!' Frank yelled, body checking the front door of a house open. He dashed in, dragging Alice by her arm. Sirius shoved Marlene in next and ran in after her before Peter and Mary did. James and Remus cast several blasting spells into the horde, but it had managed to separate them from the Prewetts who retreated into a building on the other side of the street.

'Get back,' Frank said and he slammed the door back into place. 'Colliportus!' he said firmly and the door locked, but did not drown out the sound of dead hands banging on it and angry snarls and moans from the other side. 'Where are we headed, James?'

James shook his head. 'It's too dangerous for all of us to go,' he gasped, his lungs thick from the smoke. 'You lot head back to the school. I'll find them.'

'Don't be thick,' Sirius snapped.

'We're with you, James,' Remus said firmly. 'How can we help?'

James sighed and could see that everyone was resolved to stay. Even Peter, who didn't normally enjoy a risky situation, seemed firm in his resolve. 'Alright. I think they're at Madam Puddifoot's,' he said.

'Ew,' Sirius said, and even in the situation everyone managed a nervous laugh.

'It's just up the street. I think they would have holed up to wait for a teacher at the first sign of trouble,' James went on.

'Getting up the street is going to be difficult, there's a lot of them out there,' Marlene called from the window. Her and Mary were peeking outside, but the window suddenly shattered, admitting the groping hands of several of the creatures. Marlene and Mary cried out in fear and backed away from the window. Frank dashed over and slashed his wand repeatedly out the window at the creatures.

'What now?' Remus said.

James glanced at the stairs. 'Maybe we can make our way to the roof?'

'But the other buildings are on fire,' Sirius pointed out.

James' mind raced. 'How did Flitwick catch you?' he said suddenly.

'Easy, Winguardium Leviosa,' Sirius said, but he instantly regretted it. 'No. Not a chance. What if you get dropped?'

'You won't drop me,' James said, and everyone was looking between them in confusion. 'We get to the roof, Sirius floats me down the street to Madam Puddifoot's. They can't touch me.'

Alice was staring at him as if he'd grown a third eye. 'No, but you'll be like a dinner bell, James! Hanging in the middle of the street over top of them? They'll be clamouring to get you!'

James shook his head. 'You'll just have to move me fast.'

'But you'll be separated from us—on your own down there,' Peter said. 'What happens if you need our help?'

James waved a hand dismissively. 'I'll be fine,' he said.

'James—' Sirius began, but James grabbed him by the shoulder.

'It's Evans, Sirius,' James said severely. 'I need to do this.'

Sirius sighed and relented under James' gaze. 'Alright, come on,' he said. Remus and Alice stayed with Frank to man the windows downstairs while Marlene, Mary, Sirius and James went up the stairs and found a window that opened onto a ledge. James could see Madam Puddifoot's down the street, and it was mercifully not on fire, although the street was quickly filling with the dead bodies.

'You sure about this?' Sirius said.

'Dead sure,' James said with a grim smile. 'Just move me fast and don't drop me.'

'James…' Mary said, stepping forward, but James braced a hand on her shoulder to avoid any romantic gestures.

He smiled as confidently as he could. 'I'll be fine. If this group moves after me, I want you all to run for it. Understand?'

'I'm not leaving you,' Sirius said fiercely.

'Yes you are,' James said back. 'I've survived Rochefort and Voldemort, Sirius. I can handle a few walking stiffs. Now help me fly!'

Sirius shook his head and pointed his wand at James. 'Winguardium Leviosa,' he said firmly, and James took flight. He rocketed out the window and then pelted down the street overhead of the dead bodies. Only a few noticed the boy flying through the air as he raced towards Madam Puddifoot's.

A second before he crashed into the window on the second floor, James realized that Sirius had no intention of dropping him onto the street below. He smashed through the window and tumbled onto the ground, groaning as he did so. The room was still alight, and he looked up to see two wands pointing at him, one of which quickly pointed away as Lily Evans and Severus Snape stared at him in open-mouthed surprise.

'Potter?' Lily said in amazement.

'Evans,' James grunted as he got to his feet, ignoring the fact that Snape's wand was still trained on him. 'Did somebody order take-out?'


	15. Escapes and Dashes

15

'Potter?' Lily stated in disbelief as James got to his feet, wincing slightly as he rubbed his shoulder. 'How in the—what are you doing here?' she stammered.

'Coming to save you, of course,' James said and he appraised the wand still pointed at him that belonged to Severus Snape. 'Alright, Severus?' he said carefully, trying his best to keep a neutral tone in spite of the surge of anger he felt at being on the other end of the wand.

Lily seemed to notice it for the first time. 'Put that thing down, Sev,' she said and Snape lowered his arm, although he still looked at James with intense loathing.

'Always playing the hero, aren't we, Potter,' he said.

James raised his eyebrows. 'Sorry to interrupt what I am sure was a very romantic date—what with all the walking dead people—but this isn't about playing the hero, it's about making sure Evans is safe,' James said.

Lily looked through the broken window at the street. 'We were just waiting here for a teacher to come get us,' she said.

James shook his head. 'Won't be for a while. They had to fall back to the school to get the other students out.'

'Who's still here?' Lily asked.

'By now? Just us,' James said.

'You mean they left us here?' Lily asked aghast.

Snape snorted. 'Figures,' he muttered. 'And how did you manage to talk them into letting you stay, Untouchable Potter? Promise to mention them in your next interview with the Prophet?' he taunted.

Lily shoved him so suddenly that Snape nearly lost his balance. She was in front of him in a flash with her finger under his chin, just as she had done with Sirius the night before. 'That's enough,' she snapped. 'If you say one more thing that isn't some sort of plan to help us get out of here, I will langlock you in the middle of the next week, Severus Snape,' she said. 'Do you understand me?'

'Yes,' Snape said quickly, relenting under her fierce gaze. Lily rounded on James.

'So who else is here?' she demanded.

James shrugged. 'I was with a group—the Twins, Frank and Alice, Marlene and Mary, James, Sirius and Remus,' he said. 'We were all at the end of the street, and Sirius flew me in here. They were holed up once those walking dead things cornered us.'

'Inferi,' Snape said off-handedly.

'Beg pardon?' James asked.

Snape gestured to the window. 'Those things outside are Inferi. Reanimated corpses controlled by a wizard,' he said.

'Inferi are real?' James echoed, ignoring the utterly bemused look on Lily's face.

Snape's lip curled. 'Yes, Potter, Inferi are real. Nice to see that four years of magical education have not been wasted…' he trailed off as he saw Lily giving him another glare. 'Yes. They are real,' he said.

'My Dad used to tell horror stories about them, but I thought they were just stories,' James muttered.

'Looks like they're coming this way,' Lily said.

James turned to Snape. 'You said they're controlled by a wizard. Is it a common skill?'

'Yes and no,' Snape replied. 'Anyone can do it, but it would take considerable talent to pull off.'

Lily bit her lip. 'I think we can narrow down the list of suspects pretty easily to Death Eaters,' she said and Snape shifted uncomfortably. 'What do you think they want? Just to cause mayhem?'

James thought it would seem somewhat egotistical to share his feeling that one of them had seen him and gestured at him before charging. But he could not shake the suspicion that this was meant for him—Inferi, allies of Lord Voldemort, invading Hogsmeade Village at the same time that Hogwarts happened to be having its first visit. The coincidence were too many.

'They're definitely coming this way,' Lily said, a worried edge creeping into her voice. 'What should we do?'

Snape wiped a hand across his forehead. 'The doors should hold, we sealed them pretty well,' he replied.

'The windows?' James asked. 'They started coming through them when we were in the house down the street,' James said, trying to peer down there to see if he could catch a glimpse of the others. 'They seem frightened of fire.'

Snape nodded. 'That follows. It's really their only weakness,' he said.

'You know lots about them?' James asked.

'I've read extensively,' Snape replied.

'Okay then, you're our expert on how to defend ourselves. Any useful spells?'

Snape sighed as he wrinkled his brow. 'Confringio works, but it's a one-person spell. It'll be next to useless if they attack in a group which they seem to be doing.'

'The Prewetts were able to create some sort of fiery dragon with their wands…' James said.

'That's advanced defensive magic,' Lily said.

Snape stomped his foot in frustration. 'Our best bet is to try and hold them off until help arrives,' he said. 'If the teachers are truly coming back from Hogwarts for us, then we shouldn't have too long to wait. Unless…'

James and Lily looked at him expectantly. 'Unless what, Sev?'

'…unless it's a trap,' Snape said slowly.

'What sort of trap?' Lily asked.

James picked up the thread. 'If the Death Eaters are trying to lure the teachers away from Hogwarts…to expose it…' he said, and Snape nodded.

'That's horrid,' Lily said.

'Well, these are Death Eaters we're talking about,' James said with a glance at Snape who grit his teeth. The sound of banging came from down the stairs as Inferi began banging on the doors trying to gain entry. 'Okay, quick decision. Do we try to hole up here or make a run for it?'

Snape snorted. 'Hole up here,' he said at the same time that Lily said 'make a run for it'. The two looked at each other in surprise.

'If they come in here they'll tear us apart,' Lily said.

'Where are we supposed to run to? It'll just insure that we're tired when they start tearing us apart as opposed to having a fighting chance,' Snape countered.

James thought quickly. 'The Forbidden Forest,' he said. Lily and Snape both stared at him. 'It's our best shot,' he said.

'No, it would be suicidal. You know the sorts of things that are in there,' Snape said.

James nodded. 'So they might pick off some of the Inferi,' he said.

'And us as well!' Snape said, looking at Lily. 'Lily…you're the deciding vote…' he said. Both Snape and James looked at her expectantly, silence reigning punctuated by the angry yells of the Inferi trying to gain entry to the building.

Lily sighed and looked at Snape apologetically. 'I say we run,' she said. 'There are enough things in the woods that will be more preoccupied with killing Inferi than a few kids. But what about the others, James? You said they were stuck down the street?'

James was peering through the window down the road and he could see that the house they had been holed up in was now ablaze. 'Not anymore,' he said grimly. 'They either got out or…' he trailed off as Lily and Snape looked out the window. Lily gasped.

'No time to worry,' Snape said in a resigned voice. 'If we're going to run,' he said casting a glance at James that said this was the most foolish idea he had ever heard, 'then now is the time. I think we're best taking this window. Hit the alleyway right there and make a run for the woods.'

Lily nodded, steeling herself. 'I'll go first,' she said.

'The hell you will,' Snape and James said at once. They looked at each other and an unspoken understanding seemed to pass between them—Lily's safety was their top priority.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Well I guess chivalry isn't dead,' she deadpanned. 'One of you like to lead the way, then?'

Snape hesitated and James stepped to the window. 'Here we go,' he said and he leapt down into the alleyway. For the moment, they were unnoticed. He turned and gestured up to Lily who dropped down silently next to him. A moment later, Snape followed.

'Let's move,' Lily said. At the end of the alley some two hundred yards away was the entrance to the Forbidden Forest. They took off at a jog, moving between the buildings and pausing to ensure the coast was clear at each intersection. At the last one, they stopped. A horde of Inferi was making its way down the street, bashing on the doors of buildings.

'Maybe we should double back, wait for them to pass,' Snape suggested.

Lily shook her head. 'We'd be cornering ourselves, that's a big group,' she said.

James nodded. 'We have to make a break for it.' He brandished his wand and hopped on the spot, readying himself to sprint. 'Ready?'

'As I'll ever be,' Lily muttered and Snape nodded wordlessly.

'Go!' James hissed and they ran. The effect was instantaneous—the night was wrent apart by the cries of the undead beings as they gave chase, having only been about fifty yards away to begin with. James allowed Lily and Snape to overtake him as they passed several rain barrels by the side of a building on the edge of the woods. He kicked them over and shouted 'Confringio!' causing them to burst into flames. The first of the Inferi rounded the corner and stopped, causing a pileup as they stood back from the flames. James didn't wait to see how long it would take for the fire to go out, he turned and followed as they entered the woods.

'I can't see anything!' he heard Lily from up ahead.

'Don't light your wands!' Snape's voice came back. 'Maybe they won't be able to see us,' he added. James could feel branches slapping him in the face, and he smashed his shin into a thick stump which caused him no small amount of pain. But he kept running, chasing the sounds of Lily and Snape crashing through the trees ahead of him. He could also hear the many crashes in the forest behind him that signified the Inferi giving chase.

'They're gaining on us,' he heard Snape hiss. James made up his mind in a moment.

'You two break hard right. I'll draw them off,' he said.

'Potter, no—' Lily began.

'Snape, take her right!' James ordered. He could hear Lily's protestations which meant Snape was following the instruction. He quickly hoped to himself that his plan would work. He bolted left and ran for a few feet before muttering, 'Lumos,' and his wand came alight. 'ALRIGHT, EVERYONE!' he bellowed. 'COME GET SOME! COME GET A PIECE OF JAMES POTTER!'

He turned and stopped running for a moment. His wand light showed several Inferi crashing through the trees towards him. 'Confringio!' he shouted, catching the first one in the face. 'Confringio! Confringio!' he shouted, scoring two more direct hits. A large, dry stump was before him. He set it ablaze to add to the distraction. 'Deprimo!' he called, blowing the fire from the stump onto several other trees. 'COME GET ME!' he shouted again and he took off running once more.

He ran for what felt like an eternity. He was aware that he could taste smoke in his lungs which meant that the fire had caught on somewhere, and he was all too aware of the sounds of the Inferi crashing through the trees after him. Relentlessly pursuing, knowing nothing of hunger, thirst, fatigue or exhaustion, their all-consuming goal to catch him.

James tripped and fell crashing to the ground, cutting his face on a sharp branch as he did so, causing him to cry out. He rolled onto his back quickly and stood in time to see an Inferi bearing down on him. 'Confringio!' he gasped, catching it in the head. It still bulled into him and knocked him to the ground once more, but James kicked himself free as it writhed and batted at the flames all over its head. James hauled himself to his feet and squinted in the distance—the fire he had set was spreading quickly, and he watched as it enveloped several Inferi.

'Oh dear,' he whispered to himself as he realized it was moving faster than the Inferi towards him. He had a new threat to run from. 'Oh dear,' he said again as he pushed himself back into a sprint through the darkness that was beginning to glow orange, the sound of the approaching flames beginning to overtake the growling roars of the Inferi that were pursuing him. He had no options left available to him other than to keep running. His lungs were burning, his eyes were watering, and his breath was coming in ragged gasps. He could feel the heat on his back as the fire grew ever closer, gaining on him with each step he took.

Onward he pressed, stumbling and staggering through the trees. He was all too aware that if he fell now, that his number was up. He knew that the fire was gaining on him too fast, that he would not be able to regain his feet again. He squinted through the smoke that was now filling the area around him, scalding his lungs and preventing him from getting oxygen. _Not like this, _he thought to himself. _Not like this._

'Not…like…this!' he yelled.

And then the ground was out from underneath him and he knew a brief feeling of weightlessness before he began to plummet through the air, down from the smoke and fire. He hurtled for a few moments, screaming incoherently as he went.

And then, he knew a blessedly cool sensation as he landed with a splash in what must have been a pond, his body completely immersing in the cool water. He right himself and kicked for the surface, sucking in a deep, smoke-free breath as he did so. He looked up to see the tops of the trees were still coated orange. He had run straight off of a cliff overlooking a pond, which had undoubtedly saved his live. For a moment, he gave a short laugh of triumph.

That was until he saw a few Inferi topple over the edge of the cliff. 'Bloody hell,' he muttered and he began swimming hard for the shore of the pond where the water lapped at its edge. He heard the splashes behind him that signified the Inferi landing in the water, but his feet were already touching ground. He willed his body onward and spun around to face the pond, his wand ready as he panted heavily, aware that blood was coursing down his face and his shin was throbbing angrily.

The first Inferi broke the water only to receive a fireball full in the face. Two others broke simultaneously and they were similarly taken down. James backed away from the pond's edge and blinked as he took in his surroundings. He was deep in the forest, this much he knew, and he no longer had any idea what direction he was headed in.

He could only hope that Snape had managed to guide Lily to safety. He picked a direction and began walking, grabbing a thick, leafy branch and covering his wand in it to mute the light enough so that he could still see, but so that he was not shining a dinner sign for any Inferi that might come his way.

Things had happened so quickly that James had barely had time to think. He had no idea what had become of the others he had left behind in the house—Frank, Alice and Remus had been trying to man the windows while Sirius, Mary and Marlene had come upstairs to see James off. And what about the Twins? James had seen nothing of them since they had been separated in the street.

And Lily…James felt a pang of worry. He was confident he had drawn the attention of most of—if not all—of the Inferi, but what Snape had said was worrying. Who was controlling them? Lily was right that it was most likely a Death Eater, and James could think of a few who would love to see him dead. But only one who would go to so much trouble to make it happen…

James stopped walking. What if the plan was not to get him? What if it was a plot that, like last year, was designed to make him suffer? Rochefort knew that Sirius was his best friend. What if he had made similar deductions about Remus, Peter, the Twins?

Or Lily?

James chewed his lip. There was no way he could find Lily and Snape now. He had no idea where he was, much less where they were. He sat down on the ground and rubbed the blood out of his eyes, damning himself for suggesting that they run for the woods. What had he been thinking? If Rochefort had been watching these events unfold, Snape and Lily would be lambs to a slaughter for him.

He did not realize he was sitting at the entrance to a cave, and he barely had time to utter a shout of surprise as a hand clamped over his mouth and dragged him into its depths.


	16. Reunions and Rescues

16

James knew a moment of flight as he soared through the air once again for the second time in almost as many minutes. Then he crashed into the cave wall and landed on the floor with a solid thud, sending rocks and pebbles scattering across the floor. James had maintained his grip on his wand, and without thinking he cast a shield charm. A loud bang sounded in the darkness and there was a great white flash as the curse that had been sent his way by the Death Eater attacking him rebounded of his shield and struck the Death Eater square in the face, slamming him back against the opposite cave wall with a sickening thud before he fell to the ground and did not move again.

James stood there for a moment, panting heavily in the darkness. His back was sore from where he had hit the wall. 'Lumos,' he muttered after a moment and he squinted at his surroundings. He was not familiar with this part of the woods, and he did not know what lurked in the caves this far away from the school. He cast a glance back outwards where the pond was and saw the Inferi climbing out. 'Nox,' he said quickly, dousing his wand as he crouched down to the ground.

The Inferi looked around, growling and snarling angrily in the darkness and then they swept off into the woods in search of James. He remained there, crouched and panting, for several minutes. He wondered what he ought to do—wander back out into the forest, take his chances against the walking dead and whatever else might be waiting for him? Or maybe just stay right where he was, lay down and rest…his body was aching terribly. The gash on his forehead was throbbing and his shin had gone alarmingly numb where he had crashed into a tree stump. But he knew this was not an option. That Death Eater had come from somewhere, and if there was one, there were likely to be more.

Resolving himself, James slowly pushed himself to his feet, willing himself to keep moving even though his muscles screamed for rest. He felt his way further into the cave until he could no longer see out to where the pond was before he said 'Lumos,' once again. The cave seemed to be widening out as he went, and it was slanting downward. Down and down James went until the ground seemed to level out. The cave began to narrow once more until it was only wide enough to admit one person.

Then, a sound greeted James' ears—the sound of voices in the distance. 'Nox,' James whispered once more and his wand went out. Feeling his way along the cave walls, he reached a point where it was set to spread out once more into a new, open cavern. This cavern, however, was lit. A chandelier hung from the ceiling into a large room dominated by a long, wooden table. Standing around the table were a number of Death Eaters. James' heart clenched as his eyes scanned the room—twirling in a floating cage in the corner was the unconscious form of Peter Pettigrew.

'It's one of Potter's gang, alright,' said one of the Death Eaters at the table. 'Well done, Kilbourne. The Dark Lord will be pleased.'

A tall Death Eater, whom James took to be Kilbourne, nodded. 'Thank you,' he said. 'I can also report that Hogsmeade appears to be deserted. There were others in his party, but they were able to flee. This one was separated from them by the Inferi.'

The Death Eater who spoke first nodded. 'By the time they have noticed he is missing, our operation will already have completed. What is Malfoy's status?'

Kilbourne shrugged. 'I'd imagine they have mobilized in the forest by now, if that fire has died down.'

The dark skinned Death Eater nodded. 'I sent Brower out into the woods to check a few moments ago. He should report back soon.'

James guessed that this must have been the Death Eater he had incapacitated. And there were more in the woods. James bit his lip—if they were expecting Brower back momentarily, he would have little time to act. He peered out into the clearing. Apart from the two conversing Death Eaters, there was a third standing by another entrance to the cave. James contemplated his options carefully and decided fast.

He silently pointed his wand at the one whose back was to him, knowing he was the one he had the best chance of incapacitated. Non-verbally, he cast a stunning spell.

The result was instant—the Death Eater turned to receive it full in the face and crashed back against a wall. The two Death Eaters who had conversed spun to face James as he bolted out from cave entrance. 'Expelliarmus!' he shouted several times, casting his multi-spell at the two of them. They jumped and dodged aside and suddenly spells were hurtling back at him. James hurled himself behind the heavy wooden table as they soared over his head, seeming to set the air on fire as they went before splattering into the wall.

'Was that Potter?' the dark skinned one asked. James did not give them time to respond as he hurled an Impediment jinx over the top of the table. It nearly struck Kilbourne, who spun aside and cast a jolt of green light at James who rolled away from it. He got up and sprinted across the room, the two Death Eaters casting spells. James heard the words, a combination of Unforgiveable Curses flew his way as he dove into the next crevice in the cave walls. 'Reducto!' James shouted, pointing his wand at the cave ceiling just as the dark-skinned Death Eater stepped into view. Several boulders fell from the ceiling and crushed him, a mangled cry escaping his lips before he was buried. But now he was trapped—what he thought had been another pathway was only a few feet deep.

'Impressive, Potter,' said the Death Eater known as Kilbourne. James was not sure exactly where he was. 'I suspected you would come for your friend…it is noble. But you're cornered, and it would do neither of us any good to be killing you just yet.'

James made up his mind in an instant. He hurled himself out of the crevice and onto the top of the rock pile, formulating the spell in his mind—but before he could get the words out, he was slammed with the Cruciatus Curse, sending him tumbling down the pile of boulders and onto the floor where if he'd known what he was doing, he would have realized he was screaming and writhing in agony. The last he knew was the excruciating pain before it was suddenly released.

'Well done, Kilbourne, well done!' came the drawling voice of Lucius Malfoy and James looked up from the floor to see Malfoy and two other Death Eaters had arrived. 'When Brower did not arrive we came to look for him…little did we suspect that James Potter would wander straight into our midst,' he said with a chuckle.

'Prat,' James muttered.

'What was that?' Lucius asked.

'I called you a prat,' James hissed with as much force as he could muster.

Lucius laughed. 'Oh what a day this is,' he mused. 'You have caused quite an uproar in our world, Potter. People seem to look at you as some sort of beacon. But today, they will realize that there is no hope in the face of the Dark Lord's wrath.'

'So what is it then? You're going to kill me?' James croaked as he got to his hands and knees.

'Oh no,' Lucius replied. 'That right is reserved for the Dark Lord, whom we shall be taking you to see,' he said gleefully. 'But that's not to say we can't have some fun first…'

And with that, Lucius strode forward and kicked James with astonishing force in his face. James flipped over onto his back and coughed, his own blood splattering into the air and falling back upon his face. He laid on the ground, his vision spinning, his energy spent. He could not even muster the energy to defend himself as Lucius hauled him to his feet by the neck of his robes.

'You've been such a thorn in our side,' Lucius chided. 'And really, we could have been on the same team. The Dark Lord offered you a chance, Potter—an olive branch. But like the foolish brat that you are, you slapped that away.'

Lucius slammed his fist across James' face and he crashed to the ground in front of Kilbourne, who kicked him solidly in the side, flipping him onto his back. James cried out in pain as another Death Eater stomped on his knee with a sickening crunch. James clutched his leg as he laid on the floor.

'That's enough to be getting on with,' Lucius said, but after a moment, he seemed to change his mind. 'Pick him up. Kilbourne, his right arm. Seabrook, his left.'

James felt himself being hauled to his feet. He could barely see through the blood in his eyes as Lucius pulled a lethal looking instrument from his pocket which he wrapped around his knuckles. 'I take a different track from Rochefort, Potter,' he said. 'His downfall was his foolish pride in trying to reach you single handedly. I operate differently. How I get my enemies matters little, so long as I get them,' he said. 'Anything you'd like to say before I break your face?'

James coughed and felt a rush of blood into his mouth. He swished it to the side and grinned as best as he could. 'Yeah,' he muttered. 'You punch like a girl.' He spat the mouthful of blood at Lucius, catching him in the face.

Lucius roared with anger and reared his fist back. James willed himself to keep his eyes open, to glare at Lucius until he was knocked unconscious, but the punch never hit. Lucius' fist seemed to have been caught in mid-air behind him.

'Get the hell off my boy,' came a snarling, familiar voice and suddenly Lucius was punched solidly across the face, hitting the ground hard. James' heart leapt as Dorcas Meadowes stood there, two wands in her hands which she flipped forward into an offensive position and sent two spells crashing into the Death Eaters holding James. He sank to the floor, but Dorcas was picking him up in an instant. 'Can you walk?' she said urgently.

James tested his leg and screamed in agony.

'That's a no then, is it?' Dorcas deduced. 'Right. On my back.' she hoisted James onto her back and moved with lightning speed across the room to where Peter was. She flicked her wand and his magical cage disappeared, causing him to land on the ground. Almost instantly, he seemed to regain consciousness. 'Peter, can you walk?' she asked.

'Y—yeah,' he stammered.

'Stay close and do exactly as I say,' Dorcas instructed and they moved into another tunnel. 'Keep your heads down,' she said and they twisted and turned through the darkness. James became aware of the sounds of a battle up ahead. They came into a large clearing that was alive with flashes and bangs as an army of Death Eaters was battling with a group of people whom James recognized—he could see Alastor Moody, Dirk Cresswell, Madam Bones, among others were casting spells back and forth.

'Wrap it up, everyone, I've got them!' Dorcas bellowed. 'Fall back!'

'She's got Potter!' cried a Death Eater and suddenly spells were flying their way, but Ministry wizards appeared in the way, casting defensive spells to deflect them from James and Dorcas. Cresswell leapt over to them.

'Here, broomstick!' he said and Dorcas quickly hopped on. Cresswell grabbed Peter and mounted another one. 'I'm right behind you!'

James knew a feeling of weightlessness again and they were in the air, rocketing away from the seen. Spells slashed through the air all around them, but Dorcas cut, weaved and juked through the air in the expert fashion of a Quidditch player. After a few moments, the spells faded away and they were flying soundlessly through the night.

'Potter?' Dorcas shouted after a few moments. 'You conscious?'

'Yeah,' James groaned.

'Gave us a hell of a fright, you did,' she said.

'What are you doing here?' James asked.

Dorcas laughed. 'Once we get there, I'll tell you,' she said.

'Where are we going?' James asked.

'Back to the school,' she said.

'What about Lily?' James croaked.

Dorcas laughed again. 'We've got her, James,' she said. 'Don't worry.'

And with a surging feeling of relief, feeling safe with Dorcas guiding the way, James slipped into unconsciousness just as they passed the outer boundaries of Hogwarts.


	17. Visits and Worries

17

James was not out for long. He was shaken awake a short while later, the faces of Dorcas Meadowes and Dirk Cresswell peering down at him. A sudden cold, wet sensation was slapped onto his face as one of them cleaned what must have been a generous quantity of blood out of his eyes. 'You back with us, James?' Cresswell asked in an even voice. James nodded blearily. 'Good,' he said. 'I've got to get back outside—will you be alright Dori?' he asked. When she nodded, he gave her a kiss on the forehead and dashed off. James realized they were still in the entrance hall of the school, which was now quiet as the grave. James could hear no sounds of a battle.

'Madam Pomfrey came and fetched Peter. He was in a little worse shape than you,' Dorcas said after a moment. When James looked at her quizzically, she sighed. 'Mentally not all there…I think they used the Cruciatus Curse on him,' she said. 'He was almost completely incoherent. Dirk had a rough go of it trying to keep him on the broom.'

James felt his heart sink. Poor Peter, whose only crime was being a friend of his…

'What about the others?' he gasped. 'You said they were safe?'

Dorcas nodded and afforded him a smile. 'You two were the only students injured, of course,' she said. 'Your little diversion worked wonders. That's not to say everything was smooth sailing for Snape and Evans, but at least they had an easier go of it than you did.'

'What do you mean?' James asked.

'You can ask them yourself once you're out of the hospital wing,' Dorcas replied.

James frowned. 'They're not there?' he asked.

'Haven't I just said you were the only one hurt?' Dorcas chided. 'Poppy should be back down for you any moment once she gets Pettigrew settled in.'

James nodded. 'So what are you doing here?' he asked.

'Dumbledore asked us to come,' Dorcas said, but it was clear she was holding back information. When James looked at her expectantly, she sighed. 'When Hogsmeade was attacked, everyone's inclination was to rush to defend it. But we received a…tip advising us to the contrary,' she said slowly, looking sideways at James.

'A tip?' James asked in confusion.

'You look just like I feel,' Dorcas said dryly. 'We don't get 'tips' from the Death Eaters camp. Something smelled about it, but I guess Dumbledore had his new Dark Arts professor check into it. Lo and behold, the information turned out to be right. The Death Eaters were planning an ambush of the school once the teachers left.'

James grimaced as he shifted his position against the wall. 'Why would they do that?' he asked.

'Same reason they attack muggles, I guess—preying on the helpless,' Dorcas said. 'Only unlike Muggles, the Ministry actually seems to care about the students of Hogwarts,' she added with an edge to her voice.

'So did Fletcher find out where the information came from?' James asked.

'I don't know. We were all forced into action pretty quickly—the teachers had to stay with the school while the Ministry and the rest of us mobilized,' Dorcas said. Madam Pomfrey appeared at the top of the staircase, bustling down and clicking her tongue anxiously. 'He seems stable, Poppy,' Dorcas said evenly as she stood up.

Madam Pomfrey waved her wand and a floating stretcher appeared in front of her. Another flick and James floated softly onto it. 'No time to waste, off we go,' she said stiffly.

'Wait!' James said. 'Are you staying?' he asked Dorcas.

She smiled back at him. 'I'll be around for a while. I won't leave without saying goodbye,' she said. 'Just focus on getting better.'

'As tempted as you might be to sleep, Potter, I need you to stay awake,' Madam Pomfrey instructed as she began wheeling him up to the hospital wing. 'You've taken a few blows to the head and I need to make sure you don't show any concussion symptoms,' she added.

James nodded numbly. 'Right,' he said. 'How's Peter?'

'Poor thing,' Madam Pomfrey said sadly. 'I've given him a potion for a dreamless sleep. Please do not wake him, James, I want Dumbledore to see him before anyone else does. He seems to have a knack for reaching people who are feeling a little overstretched.'

James nodded. 'Alright, I promise,' he said, feeling a pang of guilt once again for Peter. A short while later, they arrived in the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey began tending to him. James kept his eyes on the bed across the floor from him with Peter's sleeping form in it. The guilt was overwhelming, and James felt the sting of tears in his eyes.

'Sorry, I know this is painful,' Madam Pomfrey said. James hadn't even realized she had been tending to the knee that Lucius Malfoy had mangled.

'Yeah,' James choked. 'Yeah, it is,' he said, grateful to seize onto the excuse for what he was feeling. He hadn't really been aware of all the injuries he had sustained—his right knee had been nearly destroyed, but Madam Pomfrey put that right in a few heartbeats. His left shin-bone had cracked, which she repaired easily as well. She also mended his skull, which had been fractured, and his nose, which had evidently been flattened into his face. James welcomed the ability to breathe in through it as she finished.

'Well now,' Madam Pomfrey said, surveying him when she had finished as if regarding a painting she had just completed. 'How do you feel?'

'Fine,' James said. 'Can I go?'

She shook her head. 'I think I'll keep you here overnight. Just stay put, I'm going to go and check in the school grounds to see if I am needed. Hagrid will be along to check on you within an hour or so,' she said kindly and without another word, she strode out.

James sighed and stared at Peter once more, when a voice sounded next to him. 'Thought she'd never leave!' James yelled out in surprise and immediately clamped his hands over his mouth as the invisibility cloak fell to the floor to reveal Sirius and Remus sitting next to him. 'Honestly, James, I'm surprised you didn't notice us,' Sirius said with a smirk.

'You were invisible,' Sirius reminded him.

'I was tapping on the edge of the bed in Morse code,' Sirius said proudly.

'I have no idea what that is,' James replied.

Sirius frowned as Remus chuckled. 'You look far better than you did when you came in,' Remus supplied. 'And better than Peter did by a long shot.'

'How was he?' James asked. 'Dorcas said he was incoherent…'

'He was,' Sirius said bitterly. 'Absolutely terrified of everything. Of all of us, I think he was the least prepared for something like that…they think it was the Cruciatus Curse.'

'Malfoy,' James hissed. 'That miserable git.'

'So it _was_ Malfoy?' Remus asked.

James nodded. 'The Inferi in Hogsmeade were just a diversion,' he said. 'They were planning to attack the school. But someone tipped off Dumbledore and the Ministry.'

Sirius frowned. 'That sounds odd.'

'I know, right?' James muttered. 'I can't really picture any of Voldemort's sycophantic followers turning spy for us.'

Remus sighed. 'Well, maybe it's good news. The first good news we'd have had in a while where he's concerned,' he said.

'How's Evans?' James asked.

'They had a bit of an adventure, but they're fine,' Remus said reassuringly. He smiled. 'She was in a right state about you when Cresswell brought her back in, though. They had to assign an Auror to watch her to keep her from going out there after you.'

In spite of all that had happened and how horrible the day had turned, James smiled bashfully in spite of himself. 'She did?' he asked quietly.

'I swear,' Remus said holding up a hand.

Sirius chuckled. 'Snivellus wasn't too happy about it, but he didn't say anything…for once,' he added bitterly.

'I guess I owe you for flying me down the street like that,' James said.

'Fat lot of good it did!' Sirius snorted. 'We were rescued about five minutes later. Granted, it took the building burning to the ground and losing Peter for that to happen…' he added with a frown over at Peter. 'Do you think he'll be alright?' he asked after a moment.

Remus nodded. 'You two ended up fine after enduring it,' he said quietly. 'Peter's a Marauder. He'll get through this.'

'So are you really going to do as Madam Pomfrey says?' Sirius asked. 'You're just going to lay here all night? Or would you like to accompany us back to the dormitory?'

James cast a glance at Peter's sleeping figure. 'Maybe I'd better stay here,' he said. 'One of us ought to be here for when he wakes up.'

Remus nodded. 'We'll come back first thing in the morning, James. Get some rest.' They said quick goodbyes and then the two of them disappeared underneath the invisibility cloak. A moment passed and the door to the hospital wing opened and shut, leaving James and Peter alone once more. James leaned back against the cushions and sighed as he looked at his prone friend.

'Peter,' he muttered. 'I'm so sorry.'

A short while later, the door to the hospital wing opened once again. James looked up, expecting to see Hagrid, and was thusly surprised when he saw his parents jogging towards him. 'James,' his mother said and she quickly enveloped him in a hug and rubbed the back of his head. 'Are you alright?' she asked tearily.

'Fine, Mum, really,' James said.

Mr. Potter looked ashen, and once again, James was taken aback by how much older he looked. His hair was a little thinner, his face a little paler, but his eyes still twinkled as he looked down at his son. 'Madam Pomfrey put you right as rain?' he asked.

'Yeah, she did. What's happening outside?' James asked.

His parents exchanged a glance. 'Everything's wrapping up. Ministry's put out the fires in Hogsmeade, and the Inferi have been rounded up and destroyed,' he said. 'So far there's been no loss of life, which is a miracle.'

'What happened?' Mrs. Potter asked.

James began to recount the ordeal from start to finish. When he got the part where he had discovered Peter being held captive in the cave and how Lucius Malfoy had caught him and beaten him, Mrs. Potter buried her face in her hands and Mr. Potter had turned very white. James finally finished with Dorcas coming to the rescue and getting them both out of there. '…I guess Peter managed to keep it together until he got on the broom with Cresswell,' James finished, nodding at Peter.

'His parents should be here soon,' Mrs. Potter said. 'They're already in Hogsmeade.'

'There's one other thing,' James said. 'Dorcas told me that the Ministry received a tip that the Death Eaters were planning to attack Hogwarts,' he said.

Mr. Potter frowned, and James saw a familiar look cross his face. As an Auror in his day, Mr. Potter had frequently tangled with some of the most formidable dark wizards of his age. When he was piecing together a puzzle, he always had a similar look on his face, and for a moment, James was reminded of the powerful wizard of only a few short years ago. 'Odd,' Mr. Potter said after a moment. 'Very odd.'

'Can't it just be good news?' Mrs. Potter asked hopefully.

Mr. Potter's eyes flicked to James and then he smiled at his wife. 'Of course it can,' he said. 'Maybe it means someone's on our side.'

But James had seen the look on his father's face. Dorcas suspected it, and Mr. Potter did too. Information simply did not leak from Voldemort's camp, which only lead to one conclusion—someone had intentionally given the story to Dumbledore and the Ministry. But why? Why leak a plan exactly as it was meant to happen?

'We should let you get some rest,' Mr. Potter said. 'You may have some company up here before dawn. Some minor wounds to tend to,' he added at James' alarmed look.

'Where will you be?' James asked.

'We'll be put up here in the school,' Mrs. Potter said with a smile. 'You just get some rest, alright, James?' she said.

He nodded and his parents both kissed him on the forehead and left. James stared up at the ceiling as the lights dimmed and sighed. On the one hand, he felt oddly elated. Lily had had to be kept under guard from coming to see him, and even in light of the nightmarish day, that made James feel incurably optimistic. But on the other hand, he could not shake the feeling that something was afoot with the Death Eaters. That if someone had intentionally leaked the information, there had to be a bigger goal that no one was grasping yet.

The last question that flitted through James' mind before he drifted off to sleep was: when was that goal going to come to the surface?


	18. Cares and Fears

18

When James awoke the following morning, it was from a dream where he had been fighting Rochefort once again. The whirring magical eye had been gleaming at him malevolently as a flash of green light had zoomed towards him, and for a brief moment, the green eyes staring down at him caught the morning sunlight and glinted in a similar way. But James quickly realized that the green eyes were cradled by a mane of fiery red hair, and the face staring down at him was not the one of his nightmares, but the one of his dreams.

'Good morning,' Lily said coolly.

James eased himself up in his bed. She was sitting next to the bed where she had a book on her lap, but it was not open. 'Morning,' James replied, automatically shooting a hand up to try and tame his undoubtedly wild bedhead. 'Been waiting here long?' he asked as he tried to stifle a yawn.

'Not really. I couldn't really sleep last night, so I read by the fire until I was able to walk through the castle and I came here,' she said.

'That doesn't really tell me how long you've been here, James pointed out.

She sighed. 'An hour or so,' she said after a moment.

James smiled tentatively, and then looked at her seriously. 'Are you alright?' he asked.

She nodded. 'Fine. Better than you two were, anyway,' she added. Her face then mirrored his serious expression. 'It was damn stupid of you to run off on your own like that, you know,' she said in a fierce whisper. 'We would have stood a better chance if we'd all stuck together rather than have you pull some of your fabled heroics.'

'We're all still standing, aren't we?' James asked.

'There you go again, being overconfident,' she said in an exasperated tone. 'Do you realize that's what the Death Eaters are counting on? Rochefort? Voldemort? They're counting on you being so arrogant as to think you can just walk away from anything unscathed that you'll just walk straight to them to die,' she said angrily.

James blinked. 'None of that crossed my mind, Evans,' he said slowly. 'I was trying to draw a bunch of walking corpses away from you. How was I to know that Death Eaters were lurking in the woods? And I'll say it again…it worked, and no harm was done.'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'So the ends justify the means? What if we weren't unharmed? What if one of us had died? What if you'd died?' she asked.

'If it meant you'd lived? It would have been worth it,' James said simply.

The response seemed to strike Lily into silence. She opened her mouth to say something several times and then she gave up, staring at the ground. 'You make me sick sometimes, Potter,' she said.

'Beg pardon?' James asked incredulously.

'I mean with worry!' Lily stammered.

'You couldn't have lead with that bit?' James asked in a relieved tone.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'I'm operating on no sleep, and yesterday was just a little bit taxing,' she said sarcastically. 'You're going to have to cut me some slack, Potter.'

'You can have all the slack in the world, Evans,' James said and she snorted. 'So? Are you going to tell me what happened after we parted ways in the Forbidden Forest? Moony seems to think it's a good story.'

Lily shuddered. 'Your diversion worked, that should please you,' she muttered. 'No Inferi came after us, and Sev was trying to get us back to the castle. He knows a handy charm that points your wand north. Everything was going along without incident until we came across them,' she said with another involuntary shudder.

'Came across what? Death Eaters?' James asked.

'No. Better and worse at the same time. Do you know what Acromantula are?' she asked.

James felt his own insides clench. 'Spiders?'

'Not just spiders,' Lily said in a repulsed voice. 'The most stupidly enormous ones I've ever seen in my life. Some were the size of motorcycles!' she said.

'Motorcycles…?' James asked, but Lily paid him no mind.

'Evidently, we looked like dinner to them,' Lily said. 'So we started running again. Our spells didn't do much against them, they were too big, and I guess most spells only work on humans. I was beginning to think they were going to catch us when Hagrid showed up.'

'Thank Merlin for that,' James said.

Lily nodded vigorously. 'I'm not sure exactly how he did it, but he managed to talk them into leaving us alone if you can believe that,' she said. At James' incredulous look, she threw up her hands. 'I have no idea. One second they were hell bent on catching us, the next they were all backing off. Hagrid just made sure to keep himself between us and them.'

James shook his head. 'Well, we know Hagrid is able to connect with just about any beast known to wizards…'

'But giant spiders?' Lily asked incredulously and she shuddered again. 'Anyway, he brought us back to the school. Everyone was in a right state. You lot were the only ones who weren't back—you, Remus, Sirius and all of them,' she added for clarification. 'We wanted to wait, but Dumbledore ordered us up to our dormitories and I—I went,' she said after a moment. James knew she was omitting a detail of the story.

He smiled. 'Just went quietly to the dormitory like you were told?' he asked.

Lily flushed scarlet. 'What did they tell you?' she hissed

'I'd rather hear it first hand,' James said, leaning back and looking at her expectantly.

'You're enjoying this,' she accused, but a ghost of a smile flitted across her face.

'Yes, greatly,' James said with a chuckle. 'So what did the fiery tempered Lily Evans do next?'

Lily sighed, looking at the ground in a mortified manner. 'I tried to rush the door,' she muttered. When James laughed, she threw up her hands again. 'It was abysmally stupid! What was I thinking, rushing the teachers? I won't be surprised if they dock my grades for this,' she said miserably.

'Oh come on,' James said. 'You could easily claim you were extolling your house's virtues. Gryffindor, where dwell the brave and bold at heart?' James said. Lily looked thoughtful for a moment, but James ruined that face by asking what happened next.

Lily flushed again. 'They said no. An Auror grabbed me and I—I started screaming at him.' When James laughed, she buried her face in her hands. 'I said all sorts of horrible things, and don't ask me to repeat them. In the end, they assigned a couple of them to escort me back up to the dormitories,' she said with another bashful look.

'So…what had you so worried?' James asked.

Lily stared at him incredulously. 'Don't be thick, Potter,' she said. 'You know—you know fully well who I was worried about.'

'So why can't you say it?' James asked.

Lily sighed and glanced at the door to the hospital wing. 'Potter…it's complicated.'

'So you and Sev are friends again,' James stated. It wasn't a question.

Lily bit her lip and nodded. 'I'm trying to start fresh, Potter,' she said pleadingly. 'You—you mean—you are—I don't know how to describe what you are to me,' she said, staring resolutely at the floor as she said it. 'But Sev is my friend, my oldest friend and I owe it to him to give this another shot,' she said. 'And it will just make it incredibly difficult if you and I are…anything.'

James smiled sadly. 'So the status quo, then?' he said. 'Non-friends?'

'Can you live with that?' Lily asked.

James sighed. 'I've waited three years so far, Evans. What's a few more?'

Lily snorted. 'You're being overconfident again.'

'One of these days you're going to realize it, Evans. You're going to realize that you're in love with me. And when you do, I'll be right there to say I told you so,' he said with a grin.

Lily smacked his arm. 'You're the worst.'

'Keep telling yourself that,' James laughed.

She looked serious again. 'Thank you,' she said. 'You know…' she bit her lip for a second and then plunged in. 'You know I'd do the same for you. Right?' she said.

James frowned. 'Meaning…?'

'You know what I mean,' she said hastily, avoiding his gaze. 'Anyway—I'm glad to see you're awake and feeling better. I should go,' she said and she left without another word, silently shutting the door behind her. James leaned back and stared at the ceiling, unable to stop a silly grin from spreading over his face. He was fairly certain he had gleaned her meaning from that last statement—she would have done the same for him. She would have risked her life to save his if the situations had been reversed. James could handle being non-friends with that knowledge.

He almost thought Lily was returning when the door opened, but his heart skipped a completely different beat when he saw Severus Snape walking silently towards his bed. His hand twitched, yearning for his wand but he did his best to keep his face completely calm as Snape stopped about five yards away from the edge of his bed.

They looked at each other in silence for a moment. Snape's face was unreadable, curtained as it usually was by his long, greasy black hair. 'I want to make something clear,' Snape said at last. 'You are not the only one who cares for Lily Evans.'

'I never claimed to be,' James said quietly.

'Something else needs to be made clear,' Snape went on, ignoring the response. 'What you did to protect Lily last night changes nothing between you and I. You have not earned my trust or respect.'

James clicked his tongue. 'Darn,' he said sarcastically. 'Because clearly that was what I was going for—your trust and respect.'

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'I know fully well, Potter, what it is you are trying to earn. I have no intention of allowing that to happen. You must realize by now the burden that you represent to anyone who is close to you,' he added with a glance over at Peter's sleeping form. 'How would you feel if it was Lily in that bed?' he asked quietly. 'You can show off, be as arrogant or brave or foolhardy as you see fit. But the more openly you do it, the more you increase the chances of these beds being filled. Black,' he said pointing at another empty bed, 'Lupin,' pointing at another, 'Longbottom,' another, 'Dearborn,' another, 'Meadowes,' another. His beedy black eyes turned back to James. 'These are all people whom you claim to care about. Yet you insist on putting them in harm's way.'

James quietly shoved his blanket aside and got to his feet. He made no move to reach for his wand, and neither did Snape. 'I haven't put anyone in harm's way, Snape,' he said just as quietly. 'We are all already in harm's way, because a murdering psychopath is trying to take over the world as we know it. Do you expect any decent person—like Lily Evans—to just stand aside and let that happen because they are afraid of getting hurt?'

'Foolish,' Snape whispered. 'Have the last three years taught you nothing? If you want to win—if you want to truly win—you can never reveal what is inside your heart, Potter,' he said. 'You have to be devious. You have to be cunning. You have to wait for the opportune moment when victory and safety is assured.'

James frowned. It was as if he was seeing Snape for the first time clearly. 'So that's what you're doing?' he asked. 'All of this…Death Eater mania? Ready to join the Dark Lord? This is all a game meant to protect Evans?'

'Do not pretend to understand anything about me, Potter,' Snape said quietly.

'I would have thought at some point you would realize how incredibly naïve that is,' James said, aghast. 'Snape, you're Evans' oldest friend. You know her in a way I may never get to. Can you honestly keep telling yourself that this is a plot you could convince her to go along with? That she would just accept the terrible things Voldemort is doing and the lengths he is going to to achieve power if it just meant her safety?'

Snape stepped forward. 'Her safety is all that matters,' he said. 'And she is safer with me than she is with you.'

'Our safety is not all that matters,' James said, stepping forward as well so they were nose to nose. 'The world has more people in it than just the three of us, Snape. We can't just let innocent people die so that we can live.'

'Stop being so noble!' Snape hissed. 'You cannot save everyone you come across, Potter!'

James glared at him. 'That's no reason not to try,' he said. 'What you're proposing is the coward's way out.'

Snape's eyes flashed. 'I've told you before,' he breathed. 'You're going to meet a terrible end one of these days. And soon. I only hope I'm there to see it,' he hissed. 'And I also hope that these beds don't become filled with good people whose only mistake was throwing their lot in with you.' And with that he spun on his heel and walked silently out of the hospital ward, leaving James to stand there and stare at the empty hospital beds, wondering if Snape's declaration would ever prove to be prophetic, all of the elation of his conversation with Lily seemingly wiped away.


	19. Slaps and Bagsies

19

James spent the rest of the day in the hospital wing before he was finally allowed to leave. As he did so, members of Peter's family were entering with Dumbledore, and they were all engaged in fairly serious and hushed conversation. Peter's family hadn't seemed to notice James, but Dumbledore did and he smiled kindly at him. 'James, I am certainly glad to see you are awake and feeling well,' he said in a soft voice that brought the conversation to a halt as if he had banged a gavel.

A short, balding man whom James took to be Peter's father blinked. 'James Potter?' he asked.

'Yes,' James said.

The short, plump woman whom James took to be Mrs. Pettigrew rushed up to him and bestowed a crushing hug upon him. 'Professor Dumbledore has told us it was you who found Peter in the cave,' she said in a choked whisper. 'However can we thank you?'

'It…it was nothing. He's my friend, he would do the same for me,' James said automatically as Mrs. Pettigrew pushed him back to arm's length.

Mr. Pettigrew smiled kindly at him. His eyes were looking watery as well, although James could not tell if this was due to a swell of emotion or if that was their natural state. 'Peter speaks very highly of you,' he said in a warm voice. 'We've been hoping we'd have a chance to meet you at some point. We were all quite distraught at the media's portrayal of you over the summer.'

'Thanks,' James said.

'I do not mean to be rude, James, but I do have some private matters to discuss with Peter's family,' Dumbledore said.

'Of course. I was just leaving. You'll tell Peter—you'll tell him I waited for him to wake up, won't you?' James asked.

Dumbledore smiled kindly as Mrs. Pettigrew dabbed her eyes. 'Of course,' he said. James smiled at Mr. and Mrs. Pettigrew and nodded at the third man who gave him a puzzling look as James left. He wondered if he should have introduced himself, but he paid it no mind as he strode off down the hallway back towards the common room in the Gryffindor tower.

Upon arriving, he found Sirius quite quickly. He was sitting lazily by the fire reading a Charms textbook. 'Doing homework?' James asked in surprise.

'Course not, I'm doing something important,' Sirius replied in a bored voice. He showed James the pages of the book—it was the Animagi textbook. Sirius had bewitched it so no one would know what he was reading. 'But now I can stop reading that I've got some company,' he said in an upbeat tone as he slammed the book shut. 'What shall we do?'

'Where's Moony?' James asked with a frown.

'Being Moony. It's his time of the month,' Sirius said.

'Oh,' James replied, and they were silent for a moment. The full moon was set to be that evening. 'Isn't it a little early for them to have taken him?' he asked.

Sirius shrugged. 'Maybe just trying to keep up appearances. Would be a little weird to always leave at the same time like clockwork. He could end up being followed, you know,' he added meaningfully.

'Snape,' James muttered.

'You know Snivellus, always trying to get us into trouble,' he muttered. 'It's too bad that the acromantula couldn't catch him and turn him into a sandwich,' he muttered.

James chuckled. 'Yeah, I suppose,' he said. 'He came to see me in the hospital wing.'

James had tried to keep his tone nonchalant, but Sirius' eyes snapped up as James sat down opposite him near the fire. 'What did he do? I'll go and hex him—' Sirius began as he stood up, but James grabbed him and sat him back down.

'I think I've got him figured out,' James said slowly.

Sirius' brow furrowed. 'More figured out than usual?' he said.

'No, I mean why he's so quick to want to join the Death Eaters,' James whispered. 'I think this is all a plan of his to protect Lily. I think he thinks that Voldemort is going to win this war, so if he can get on his side, maybe he can afford her some kind of protection.'

Sirius blinked. 'That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.'

'He also said he thinks by me being me I'm endangering everyone I've ever come into contact with and that everyone I know and care about could end up dead, including her,' James went on.

'I stand corrected. THAT is the stupidest thing I've ever heard,' Sirius deadpanned.

James sighed. 'I don't know…what if he's right?'

Sirius regarded James carefully for a moment. Suddenly, he reached across the space between them and slapped James loudly across the side of his face. 'What the bloody hell was that for?' James hissed, rubbing his cheek as he glanced around to see a few startled second years' looking at them.

'For giving anything Snivellus has to say more than a moment's thought,' Sirius said. 'This is a war, James. Not a tea party. Don't sell everyone short by assuming that we haven't all given a good deal of thought to how this may end for us,' he said strongly. 'You didn't put Peter in that bed, the Death Eaters did. You didn't put the Death Eaters in that cave, Voldemort did. It all comes back to him. And he'll stop at nothing to get what he wants.'

James blinked. 'You're right,' he said.

'I frequently am. You should stop being so surprised by it,' Sirius said dismissively. 'You told him off, I hope?' he asked.

'Well, yeah,' James said.

'And you still doubted yourself?' Sirius said, raising his hand again.

James raised an arm of his own defensively. 'Is this how we're going to introduce points to a discussion from now on?' he asked edgily. 'Because if so, I can think of more than a few things I'd like to 'discuss' with you,' he said.

Sirius lowered his arm but smirked. 'James, you've been right about Voldemort and Rochefort from the word go. I know you know that. You can't just stand aside and let a maniac like Voldemort win out of fear. And you know who else wouldn't do that? Lily Evans. Snape is out of his bloody mind if he thinks she will ever go along with that.'

'Yeah, that's what I said,' James said.

'So start believing what you're saying then!' Sirius said.

'Good advice,' came Dorcas' voice and the two of them turned to see her and Cresswell coming across the room. 'Heard you were up and about, thought we'd come bid you adieu.'

Cresswell was smiling widely. 'Dori just got some good news.'

They looked at her expectantly and she swelled with pride. 'Been named the starting Keeper for the Appleby Arrows. We have our first match against Holyhead the day after tomorrow, so I need to be back for practice tomorrow morning,' she said brightly.

'Congratulations, Captain!' James said, embracing Dorcas. 'So you're living up north now?'

Dorcas nodded. 'They're also paying for me to train as a junior clerk in the Department of International Magical Co-Operation,' she said. 'Dirk's got a job up there as well, but I'll let him tell you about that.'

'How kind,' Cresswell said with a wink. 'I work at a Gringotts outlet up there.'

'That must be tough…how will you talk to the trolls?' Sirius asked.

Cresswell shrugged. 'Not a problem. I'm fluent in Gobbledegook.'

General astonishment met this news. 'You kept that well hidden,' James said.

'It's always come easily to me, if you can believe it,' Cresswell replied.

James laughed. 'Leave it to you to find the most nonsensical language on the planet easy,' he replied. 'Well, it was great seeing you two again. Write often, and let us know how the match goes,' James said.

'I kind of wish I was still here,' Dorcas said with a dreamy gaze. 'The Combat Championship…that would have been a lot of fun to play in,' she said.

Sirius chuckled. 'My great grandfather took part in one. Not that it was ever mentioned around the house,' he said. 'But Moony filled me in after reading one his many books.'

'So why was it never mentioned in your house?' James asked.

'Because he held the dubious distinction of being the very first person to be eliminated in his year,' Sirius said to a roar of laughter from the four of them. 'Hopefully I can do just a little better than that.'

James chuckled. 'I'll make sure you're at least the second to go,' he said with a wink.

Dorcas gave James another embrace. 'Remember—just win,' she said.

'Thanks for coming for me,' James muttered into her shoulder. 'In the cave.'

Dorcas chuckled. 'We're still your guard, James,' she said as she pulled back from him. 'Now, hopefully you don't need us in the Combat Championship.' She bestowed a hug upon Sirius as well and Cresswell shook both of their hands. With a wave, the two of them departed through the portrait hole once more.

'Nice couple,' Sirius said as he sat back down.

'Speaking of couples, where's Marlene?' James asked.

Sirius' face seemed to darken and brighten at the same time. 'Having a discussion with Gudgeon. Evidently she never formally broke things off with him—I'd have thought giving me a big old kiss in front of the entire school would have been a sufficient termination notice.'

James laughed. 'Bit hard to let him down easy after that,' he said.

'So? Any new pieces of information?'

'Yeah, I met Peter's family,' James said after a moment. 'His parents were here, and so was somebody else. An uncle, I guess,' he said.

Sirius sighed. 'Wonder if they'll let him stay at the school after this,' he muttered. 'So many other kids have been pulled out of school.'

'And they tried to do it at the start of this year, too,' James added, the scene coming back to him when they had arrived at Hogsmeade Station after seeing Professor Mondego's body strung up in front of the Hogwarts Express. 'Lots of parents getting worried about their kids…'

Sirius snorted. 'Mine must be delighted at the danger.'

'They seemed pretty put out when you were kidnapped last year,' James remarked.

Sirius shrugged. 'I think they were more surprised that the Death Eaters didn't steer clear of me based on my name alone. Doesn't bode well for them, you see,' he said with a sigh. 'I can't wait for the Combat Championship…I call bagsies on Regulus.'

James laughed. 'You can have him. He's never struck me as much of a challenge.'

'I assume you want Snivelly?' Sirius asked. When James shrugged, Sirius sighed. 'Do I need to remind you…?' he asked, raising his arm threateningly.

'Put that thing in my face again, and you won't be getting it back,' James said in a warning tone.

Sirius was smirking. 'He'll be gunning for you, you know,' he said.

'Yes, I know. He's told me as much. The day of the brawl, remember?' he asked.

'So why not gun for him first?' Sirius pressed.

James shrugged. 'We'll be a few steps ahead of him at all times, won't we?' James asked. 'We have the Map.'

'If they allow us to bring it,' Sirius reminded him.

'Details,' James said dismissively. 'Why on earth would they confiscate a piece of parchment? I think it would be a pretty magnificent mind game to keep ourselves hidden from Snivellus for most of the game…let him wonder if we've been eliminated or if we're stalking him.'

Sirius' eyes widened in an impressed manner. 'Ooooh,' he said. 'That's diabolical.'

'I'm frequently cunning, you should stop being so surprised by it,' James said with a wink. 'Have you heard whispers of any other alliances forming?'

Sirius nodded. 'Marlene says the girls are talking about forming a team. Now that her and Mary are back on speaking terms, they're thinking of teaming up with Alice and Lily.'

James raised his eyebrows. 'Lily and Frank aren't partnering together?'

Sirius shrugged. 'Apparently they're both thinking of making their own alliances…something about competing with each other. Personally? I think they're in their own alliance, but want people to think they aren't.'

'That would be pretty shrewd,' James said.

'Extremely. I think there's going to be a lot of double crossing,' Sirius said.

James grinned and Sirius quickly mirrored his expression. 'I can't wait for this,' James said with an impatient sigh.

'It's going to be a lot of fun,' Sirius replied with a dreamy expression. 'By the way…if you're not calling bagsies on Snivelly, I totally am.'

'Dually noted,' James replied.


	20. Willows and Warnings

20

'Bloody itchy,' Sirius muttered irritably as Peter took a pair of clippers to his back. Several weeks had passed and things had returned to a relatively normal state, apart from the fact that Sirius was now covered in coarse black fur. The four of them were in the Shrieking Shack and it was approaching three in the morning. That night's progress had been one for the record books—Peter's nose had grown by about three inches and his front teeth had grown considerably in size. James had sprouted alarmingly large horns on either side of his head, and Sirius had covered himself in back fur once again while his nails had grown into sharp points.

'Well, if you were just able to reverse the hair—you know, like Peter and I managed with our horns and noses—you wouldn't be in this mess,' James joked.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'You're so helpful, James,' he muttered.

Peter had returned to them after a few days, but he hadn't been sleeping well. He had taken to curling up by the fire in the common room where it remained light at all times. As a show of solidarity, James, Sirius and Remus had begun camping out down there with him so no one would ask him questions or—if they dared—poke fun at him. But none of that had occurred and other than that, things were pretty much as they had been. James kept hoping that Lily would venture down on one of those evenings, but as of yet, she had not.

James and Peter's families had left Hogwarts in fairly short order once Peter had been released from the hospital. An announcement had shortly followed that Hogsmeade weekends were suspended indefinitely, a measure taken in conjunction with the Ministry of Magic. It served as a sombre reminder that there were not many safe places outside of the walls of Hogwarts. James, Sirius, Remus and Peter had devoted most of their free time to studying becoming Animagi, with mostly good results.

'Body hair aside, I think you've all made some good progress,' Remus said fondly. 'If you keep progressing like you have to this point, you might put it all together by the end of this year or the beginning of next year.'

Sirius snorted. 'That's really comforting, Moony, thanks,' he said sarcastically.

'Well, the alternative is that you might not be managing to do anything at all,' Remus said reproachfully as he closed the Animagi book.

Peter finished on Sirius' back. 'There, all done. You can tend to your…other bits back in the dormitory,' he said with a disgusted face.

Sirius grinned as he fetched the trimmers. 'My other bits? Is that what they call them these days?'

Peter flushed. 'Shut up,' he muttered.

'Has Mary seen your other bits?' Sirius pressed, causing Peter to go from red to vermillion in a heartbeat. Peter and Mary's friendship had continued to grow since Peter's return. While their relationship was not romantic, as both went to great lengths to point out, they had become closer than anyone would have guessed.

'It's not like that,' Peter stammered.

Sirius clapped him on the back. 'I'm just giving you a hard time, Peter. But seriously, you ought to give her a snog one of these days. She's pretty good at it,' he added with a suggestive wink.

'Anyway,' James said, to spare Peter having to think of a reply. 'We'd better get to bed. School starts in a few hours,' he said. They headed down the hallway leading away from the Shrieking Shack to the base of the Whomping Willow.

'Are we going to immobilize it?' Peter asked.

James raised his eyebrows suggestively at Sirius. 'I could do with a challenge,' he said.

'Alright, me first,' Sirius said eagerly. The other three backed away from the exit hole as Sirius quickly climbed out and began running as fast as he could from the tree trunk. He made it about four feet before a large branch swung down behind him, catching him in the small of his back and propelling him forwards, out of James' line of sight with a sudden yelp.

'After you,' Remus inclined to James.

James grinned. 'Ladies' first, Moony,' he said.

'Git,' muttered Remus as he clambered up the hole and ran. He dodged from side to side, avoiding one branch but running face first into another which then swung down to his feet, flipping him up into the air before idly batting him out of their sight.

Peter sighed and went next. Almost as soon as he had emerged from the hole, a long, spindly branch picked him up and hurled him through the air. James clambered up next and tried a new tactic, rolling along the ground as quickly as he could. He felt a branch close upon his ankle and he was suddenly spun around in a long circle before being released, hurtling through the air before crashing into Sirius, Remus and Peter. They all collapsed to the ground, laughing quietly and speaking in hushed voices.

'What was that, James? Trying to be a worm?' Sirius asked.

'Hark who's talking. That's the fastest I've ever seen someone knocked out of my line of sight,' James hissed back as they all stood up and James unfurled his invisibility cloak for them to climb under.

'Moony's looked the most painful,' Peter observed as Remus was rubbing his nose.

'Took a week for me to be able to feel my face properly again last time,' Remus said with a sigh, but he was smiling. 'Hopefully I'm building up an immunity.'

'To what? Being hit?' Sirius cracked.

Remus shrugged. 'Seems to work for Mulciber. Hitting his face is like hitting a boulder,' he said.

'If I had a face like that, I'd want people to hit me too,' Sirius said with a shudder. The four of them laughed as they slid in the doorway to the school. The cloak caught on the door, revealing them all standing there.

'Don't worry, I'll get it. Coast is clear anyway…' Peter muttered as he reached back for it, but Sirius suddenly batted his arm aside.

'Well,' came the quiet voice of Severus Snape as he stepped into the hall. He had clearly been lurking around the corner, waiting for the sound of their voices. James quietly cursed himself for not having checked the Map to see if the coast was clear. 'Out and about after dark, are we?' he said.

'Apparently we're not the only ones,' Remus said in a carefully neutral tone.

Snape's eyes flashed in triumph. 'Maybe I should alert Filch to the fact that students are in the hallways after hours…or maybe I already have?'

'If you had, you wouldn't be here. I think you're bluffing,' James said cooly.

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'Ever the arrogant blowhard,' he said softly.

'Why don't you come a little closer and say that, Snivelly? Or are you afraid you might slip on your greasy hair?' Sirius taunted.

Snape's wand was suddenly in his hand, twirling idly. 'I rather like the view from here,' he said casually. 'Of course, any loud noises might bring us some company.'

'So what's it to be then?' James asked. 'You just want to stand here and toss insults back and forth?'

'As I said…maybe I've already alerted Filch,' Snape said with relish.

'Then why are you here?' Peter asked incredulously.

'To see the looks on your faces when you are caught,' he said quietly.

Just then, the doors to the school opened and Professor Fletcher came in carrying a large bag that was clunking loudly. He stopped dead at the sight of the students.

'What are you doing?' James asked in surprise.

'What are YOU doing?' Fletcher replied in a defensive tone.

Sirius frowned. 'We asked you first,' he said.

'I'm a teacher,' Fletcher replied.

'Professor, these students are out after hours—' Snape began.

Fletcher looked nervous. 'Right. Well. These things happen, don' they? Off to bed you all go, just a warning this time,' he said quickly.

'You can't be serious—' Snape began.

'If you want me to dock points from your house, Syllibus, I'll be happy to,' Fletcher said in an attempt at an authoritative voice. Sirius snorted with laughter as Snape flushed red at the error in his name, but Fletcher didn't seem to notice. 'Off you go now!'

But another voice joined the group. 'Students in the corridors! Students out of bed!' and Argus Filch shuffled into view. 'Fletcher,' he snarled.

'That's Professor Fletcher t'you, you bleedin' squib,' Fletcher snapped.

'You're no more a Professor 'n I am the King of England!' Filch snapped.

Remus tapped James on the shoulder. 'I think it's time to go,' he said and they darted off up the staircase towards Gryffindor tower as Fletcher and Filch began to argue. James could see Snape's billowing cloak disappearing down another hallway and he silently cursed him. What more did he want? He already had Lily's friendship back, thanks in no small part to James' own doing, so why was he still crusading to get James in trouble at every turn?

'Greasy git,' Sirius mumbled as they arrived at the portrait hole a few moments later. 'I hope no one gets him before we do in the Combat Championship.'

Peter was looking thoughtful. 'What do you suppose Fletcher was up to? He didn't look too excited to see students out of bed.'

'Well, he is a teacher…or rather he's supposed to be,' Remus said dryly. 'Has to enforce the curfew, doesn't he?'

'It was obviously more than that,' James remarked as they entered the common room and made their way over to the fireplace where their sleeping bags were laid out. 'He had something in that sack that he didn't want anyone to know about.'

Remus frowned. 'What sort of thing would he be trying to smuggle into the school without anyone knowing about?' he asked.

'I don't think he's trying to get it into the school without ANYONE knowing about it,' James said. 'Just most people.'

Peter looked puzzled. 'What makes you say that?' he asked.

'My Dad once told me that it would be beyond foolish to try go get away with anything right under Dumbledore's nose. And Dumbledore once told me there isn't much that goes on in this castle without his knowing. Whatever Fletcher's doing, I'm willing to bet that Dumbledore knows about it.'

Sirius yawned as he climbed into his sleeping bag. 'So then why did he get all startled when he saw us?'

'Well, just because Dumbledore knows about it doesn't mean we have to,' James replied.

'Maybe it's something for the Combat Championship?' Remus suggested. 'Something that's supposed to be secret.'

Before anyone could answer, the portrait hole opened up and none other than Professor Fletcher stood there. He grumbled as he walked in and stopped at the sight of them. 'Er…Potter. Could I have a word? In private?' he asked.

James glanced at the others who all looked at him expectantly. James stepped forward and followed Fletcher into the hallway, where he was twirling his hat nervously in his hands. 'Look, ah. You're a smart kid, Potter.'

James raised his eyebrows. 'Are you trying to butter me up for something?' he asked.

Fletcher looked irritable. 'I'm trying to do you a favour here. Or would you rather I docked you points for being out of bed after hours?'

'Would you prefer if I told Dumbledore what you were bringing into the castle?' James asked, hoping his poker face would hold.

Fletcher laughed. 'I'm doing that on Dumbledore's ord—' he began and then he stopped short, flushing furiously. The lines in his face seemed to glow pink. 'Dammit, Potter, I'm trying to do you a favour.'

James snorted. 'Really? And what's that? Come to give me hygiene tips?'

'Look,' Fletcher said angrily. 'I'm only doing this because your Dad and Dumbledore got me out of a tough spot. As far as I'm concerned, we're square after this. Y'know that tip we got? About the ambush?' he asked.

'Yeah,' James said slowly.

'The reason we got it was you,' Fletcher said.

James was puzzled. 'Come again?' he asked.

'That's all I've got,' Fletcher said. 'The reason we got that information was you. Make of that what you will. Now don't let me see you out after hours again,' he said and with that, he walked off, leaving James standing there in stunned silence.


	21. Bravery and Love

21

James gave Professor Fletcher's cryptic piece of information a lot of thought the following morning. He had withheld telling Sirius, Remus and Peter for reasons unknown even to himself. He had made up some excuse that Fletcher had tried to bargain with him to not tell Dumbledore about their little run-in. Sirius in particular had looked sceptical, but they had not pushed the matter.

Now at breakfast, James sat idly poking his food with his fork while everyone chattered around him. He glanced up to see Lily and Snape sitting together at another table, engaged in heavy conversation.

'I'd love to know what he said to her to make her forget about his interview with the Prophet,' Alice Dearborn said icily from down the table. James glanced at her to see she was following his gaze. 'I've never seen anger to equal Lily's that day.'

James smiled faintly. 'I don't know. When you've known someone as long as they've known each other, you can look past their faults, I guess,' he said.

'Well, that's a load of dragon dung,' Sirius snorted. 'We've known Snivelly for four years, and I've yet to see a redeeming quality. Maybe if he showered it would shine through,' he added after a moment to a chuckle from the table.

Alice looked sympathetically at James. 'I think it's a matter of time before it runs its course, myself,' she said.

'Of course,' Mary McDonald chimed in from where she sat next to Peter. 'There's always the possibility that your opening might never come up, James. Maybe it's time to broaden your horizons,' she added.

Marlene, who was snuggled up under Sirius' arm, rolled her eyes. 'You're absolutely shameless, Mary,' she said.

'I'm confident and I know what I want,' Mary declared. 'Not unlike a certain star Quidditch player.'

James smirked. 'What does Frank have to do with anything?' he said nonchalantly, causing Alice's head to whip around. Frank chuckled. 'Sorry, Mary, but you're barking up the wrong tree. I've only got eyes for Evans.'

'And if she never comes around?' Mary replied.

James shrugged. 'I feel confident she will,' he said.

'So what's wrong with me saying the same thing about you?' Mary asked.

'Nothing, I suppose,' James said, smiling now.

'What is it you're always saying? You're like the ocean, slowly eroding her over time? Well I'm twice that,' Mary declared.

'She certainly has your confidence,' Remus muttered around a mouthful of steak.

Sirius frowned at him. 'How did you get steak for breakfast?' he asked.

'The house elves must like me better than you,' Remus quipped with a shrug. 'So did I hear right, Frank? You and Alice are in separate alliances for the Combat Championship?'

Alice and Frank exchanged a glance. 'We're exploring options,' Alice said slowly.

'The only thing more transparent than this little arrangement is the air we are currently breathing,' Marlene said sarcastically. 'Don't think for a second that we're fooled. We know your loyalty is to each other.'

Frank chuckled. 'But does the rest of the school?'

'After your show on the Quidditch Pitch last year?' James asked, instantly causing Alice and Frank's faces to turn red. 'I'd wager that yes, the whole school knows where your loyalty lies.'

Alice cocked an eyebrow. 'And yours?' she said. 'Have you tried to convince anyone that you won't be in an alliance with these miscreants?'

'The term you're looking for, my dear, is Marauders,' Sirius said with a wink. 'And we don't see the need to hide behind fake alliances. We're confident enough in our own ability to win,' he said as he puffed out his chest importantly.

'Now who has James' confidence?' Peter muttered, causing Mary to snort her milk.

James shook his head. 'Stop bringing this back to me,' he said with a laugh. But he cast another glance up at Snape and Lily. Snape was in the middle of saying something, and for one moment, Lily's eyes flicked to James. Her face had been screwed up in concentration as she had watched Snape speak, but then she saw James who offered her a smile. Her face suddenly relaxed and a small smile returned his way before she turned her attention back to Snape.

Momentarily buoyed by this, James followed the others off to class for the morning. Schoolwork was going much as it had gone for the entire year, with the various teachers instructing them on various forms of combative and defensive magic. Professor McGonagall was teaching them defensive transfiguration, how to transform various objects into distractions to allow one to get away. When James was able to turn simple wall torches into fizzing whizzbangs, McGonagall had awarded Gryffindor ten points (and also been forced to chase off Argus Filch who had complained about fireworks in the corridor).

Professor Slughorn was teaching them some rather explosive concoctions. 'Do not underestimate these—potionry can still be an effective tool in a battle,' he stated.

'He's an effective tool,' Sirius had muttered under his breath, causing James to laugh so hard that he had poured a bit too much of the tentacula venom he had stirred into their potion, causing it to explode rather loudly. After Professor Slughorn had managed to stop hearing a high pitched ringing, he had told them they would receive detention for a week.

'No Felix Felicis this year to help you, Potter?' Snape had whispered snidely as they exited the classroom. Sirius—whose face was still blackened from the explosion—swung wildly and caught Snape on the chin with a punch. The two engaged in a spirited tussle before Slughorn managed to intervene. Snape had a swollen lip and Sirius' short was torn.

'Evidently, you are in need of a detention as well, Severus,' Slughorn said with a note of disappointment in his voice. 'You will join Sirius and James in my office after classes have concluded for the day.'

Lily looked at the three of them with some dismay. James was thoroughly amused by the situation, but Sirius and Snape were eyeing each other with intense loathing.

Perhaps the most surprising class was Charms, where Professor Flitwick astonished everyone by showing off his collection of duelling trophies. He was a champion dueller who had won nine consecutive titles in Southern Britain before he had retired from the contest. He invited the students to challenge him, and it became something of a game. Most of the class was not able to even come close, except—not surprisingly—Frank, Sirius and James. Two surprises did emerge, though, in the forms of Lily and Marlene, who both managed to keep Flitwick on the defensive for a few moments before he disarmed them.

'Very good,' Flitwick said after he helped Marlene to her feet, she having been knocked flying into a fluffy mattress that had materialized out of thin air after Flitwick had caught her with a disarming spell. 'You have all shown tremendous adaptability. That will be a great asset in the Championship!'

Frank was busy packing his bag. 'Did you get to take part in one, Professor?' he asked.

'Oh yes,' Flitwick said dreamily. 'It was the best of times…duelling was a bit more of an art form in those days. Not at all what it's like now. It was respectful, civil. A gentleman's way of solving a dispute,' he said in a firm voice.

Lily chuckled. 'Yes, very gentlemanly to blast one another to bits,' she said.

Flitwick smiled up at her. 'You may scoff, but it's the niceties that must be observed,' he said. 'Keep practicing! Every day counts if you want to win the Championship!'

As they left class, James caught up with Lily. 'Alright, Evans?' he asked brightly.

She looked at him with a sly smile as they walked. 'Better than you, I'd imagine,' she said. 'You will leave Sev in one piece, won't you?' she asked.

'I wasn't the one who tried to pull his lips off of his face,' James remarked. 'That was all Sirius.'

'Sirius listens to you,' Lily pointed out.

'True. But when he gets angry, he doesn't listen to much of anything,' James said with a laugh.

Lily sighed. 'Just try not to exacerbate anything today…I've finally gotten Sev to a point where steam doesn't come out of his ears at the mention of your name.'

'Well that just won't do. If I can't make someone's ears steam, what's the point in even being here?' James joked.

As they walked down the staircase towards the main hall, Lily glanced at him. 'Are you alright, Potter?' she asked.

'Sure. Why?' James asked.

Lily shrugged. 'You just seem…off.'

'In what way?' James asked. 'And how am I when I'm on?'

Lily laughed. 'I can just tell that something's amiss. Am I wrong?'

'No, you're not wrong,' James admitted. 'But I'm sincerely flattered that you pay enough attention to me to notice changes in my mood. I mean, we haven't even really conversed for weeks, so you must have been paying real close attention—'

'Don't make me regret asking, Potter,' Lily said. Her tone was warning, but she was smiling slightly.

James glanced around, stopping and stepping to the side of the hall, grabbing Lily by the arm and bringing her along with him. 'Can I tell you a secret?'

Lily looked sceptical. 'You have a secret?' she asked. 'You haven't told the Marauders?' she asked, emphasising the word 'Marauders' with disdain.

'No, I haven't told them,' James said quietly.

Lily looked serious now. 'What's up?' she asked.

'The night that Hogsmeade was attacked…it was all a diversion. The Death Eaters were trying to lure the teachers away from Hogwarts so that they could attack the school once it was unguarded,' James said in a hushed tone.

Lily's eyes went wide. 'How do you know this?' she asked.

'Dorcas told me,' James said.

'Is that all?' Lily aksed.

James sighed. 'No,' he admitted. 'The reason that it never happened is because someone in the Death Eater camp tipped off the Ministry about the attack.'

'That's lucky…' Lily said.

'Extremely,' James replied. 'A massive coincidence, wouldn't you say?'

Lily frowned. 'You think it was intentional.'

'I don't think, I know,' James said with a sigh. 'And I have an idea as to why.'

Lily raised her eyebrows. 'Why?'

'Me,' James said.

'You?' Lily asked, astounded.

'Me,' James said. 'Fletcher told me last night that the reason they got the tip about the ambush was because of me…but that was all he knew, and I don't really know what to make of it,' he said. 'I didn't tell the others because…well, I didn't want them to worry.'

Lily looked at him sympathetically. 'James, they'd want to know. They're your friends and they're always there for you.'

'I know but…' James stopped. Did he really want to mention Snape's visit in the hospital wing to her? After all of his talk about getting her to be friends with him again—and she did seem happier now that she as—did he really want to risk damaging that for her again? '…I've just been thinking…what if I'm putting everyone I care about in too much danger—by being me?'

Lily blinked. 'What are you saying?'

James inhaled deeply and tried to stomp out his fear that Lily might echo Snape's sentiments. 'I've kind of been in the spotlight a bit,' he said slowly. 'What if by defying Voldemort…by so openly challenging him…I'm risking the lives of everyone I know? What if my friends get hurt? My family? Or you?'

He had half expected Lily's face to flush red in the fashion it usually did, but instead, her eyebrows simply raised. 'Do you see an alternative?' she asked. When he said nothing, she grabbed his shoulder. 'Potter, you and I disagree on a lot of counts,' she said slowly. 'But there is nothing—absolutely nothing—for you to be ashamed of. If I could have, I would have been right there alongside you at the trial defending your actions against Rochefort. I was right there beside you defying Voldemort. I would do it again, and again, and again. There are some things in this world worth dying for, Potter,' she said fiercely. 'And dying to protect people from a monster like Voldemort is one of them.'

James blinked, his heart swelling within his chest. 'You think so?'

'I know so,' Lily said strongly. 'And you do too. People who would just stand aside, try to let Voldemort win…people worried about self-preservation…they're just cowards, Potter. And you are not a coward. Do you understand me? If there's one thing you have my respect—no, my admiration—for, it's that you're not a coward.'

James was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth to speak and closed it numbly.

Lily squeezed his shoulder. 'Tell your friends what's happened,' she said. 'And never doubt yourself again.'

With that she walked off, leaving James standing there. Where before there had been worry and fear, he now felt a swell of pride. Without mentioning Snape's name, James had confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt that Lily agreed with his course of action, and found Snape's to be just as cowardly as he did.

'I love you, Evans,' he whispered under his breath, uttering aloud for the first time what his heart had known for three and a half years.


	22. Armour and Owls

22

As the calendar turned to December, classwork had grown to an intense level. McGonagall was drilling her students hard on defensive transfiguration. Professor Slughorn was devising more and more complex potions with so many multiple effects that many students were beginning to wonder if his classroom was even safe anymore. Flitwick was teaching them hexes and curses that were beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. The one exception to all of this was Mundungus Fletcher, who seemed content to let them read their textbooks rather than teach them anything of use.

'You may as well let someone else teach us Defense,' Marlene McKinnon said loudly one day.

'Believe me, I'd rather that happen,' Fletcher said groggily.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'If you're not going to teach us anything, maybe you could just clear off? Let us teach ourselves.' The comment drew some raised eyebrows. Sirius, while extremely clever, was a notorious slacker. James had a hunch he was only chiming in because Marlene had spoken up.

Fletcher regarded Sirius with amusement. 'And you figger a bunch of kids like yourselves can learn more from each other than you can from the textbooks, eh?' he asked.

'Quick question to find out,' Mary McDonald said irritably. 'Has the textbook ever fought against He Who Must Not Be Named?'

'No,' Fletcher said with a frown.

'Potter has,' Mary said. 'So has Evans.'

Alice piped up. 'Has this textbook ever managed to hold off an army of Inferi? Because most of us have,' she said.

'And in a moment, this textbook won't have forcefully removed a professor from a classroom,' Sirius said loudly to a murmur of agreement from the students gathered.

Fletcher looked nervous. 'Right. I've changed my mind. I'm going to teach you something.' He bustled about nervously. 'I just need to figure out what…' he muttered.

Frank raised an arm, having been silent throughout the whole exchange. 'Professor,' he said in a clear voice which was calm and collected in comparison to those of his classmates. 'Why don't you teach us how to get in and out of a tight spot undetected? I mean…you've used those tactics to evade both Dark Wizards and Aurors alike, have you not?

Fletcher looked at Frank. 'A magician never reveals his secrets,' he said.

'Come on, Professor,' Frank said in a cool voice. 'You're not sitting in a room filled with Aurors. Given the life expectancy, I doubt many in here even feel like being one,' he said to raised eyebrows all around him.

Fletcher snorted. 'Now you,' he said, 'are a rotten liar. But that's a good thing if you're wanting to be an Auror…most of them have honest faces,' he said with the merest flicker of a glance to James. 'So. Disguise, is it? Camoflag…comuflug…disguise. Right.'

Everyone looked on interestedly as Fletcher grabbed his cloak. 'Right then. You all see this cloak? Disgusting, right? Worthless, shabby, not worth a second glance. You'd think it was rubbish if you saw it laying about in a room, wouldn't you?' The class all nodded. 'Right then.' Fletcher draped the cloak over himself and it suddenly collapsed onto a chair. The cloak was so old and lumpy that it was truly hard to tell if there was someone within it. 'Hiding in plain sight is a good trick,' Fletcher gruffed.

'Couldn't you just use a Disillusionment Charm for that?' Lily asked.

Fletcher emerged from his cloak with a snort. 'You ever seen one of those performed?'

Lily looked at James and nodded. 'I have, it was virtually undetectable,' she said. James shifted uncomfortably—as a point of fact, she had not seen a Disillusionment Charm. The previous year, Rochefort had kidnapped Sirius to lure James and Lily out to meet Voldemort. James had managed to keep the existence of his invisibility cloak a secret by telling Lily that he had performed the charm on Remus and Peter.

Fletcher was frowning at her. 'Dunno what you saw, Missy, but it was no Disillusionment Charm. Lemme show you…a volunteer?' he asked. He looked at James. 'How about it, Potter? After facing the Dark Lord, yer not scared of having a Charm placed on you by little old me, are you?'

Without a word, James stood up. 'Have at it,' he said.

A flick of his wand later and the classroom gasped. James looked down at himself—it was as though he was made of water that was standing in mid-air. While he was somewhat translucent, he was most certainly not invisible. His eyes flicked to Lily whose brow was furrowed in confusion, and he could almost see the wheels turning in her head. Another flick of Fletcher's wand and the charm was gone. 'Dead useless, that,' muttered Fletcher. 'I mean, it's alright from a distance. But getting up close and personal with people and you'll be dead.'

There was a murmur of agreement from the classroom. 'Now, another good thing about this cloak—and let me tell you, your cloak can be your best friend—is this,' he said and he opened it up. Whereas on the outside it was shabby and awful, the inside appeared to be made of a smooth, clean texture. It also had many pockets and pouches. 'Storage space,' Fletcher gruffed. 'You never know when you'll need to pack up and go. Allows you to carry all sorts of stuff…weapons, potions, antidotes…you name it.'

Frank was taking notes, and James realized a lot of the class was as well. 'Anything else?' Frank asked.

Fletcher chuckled. 'When all else fails, good old fashioned bribery,' he said with a dry laugh.

'Do you know any offensive or defensive techniques?' Alice asked. 'Spells or charms that might prove helpful?'

Fletcher snorted. 'You really haven' heard that much about me, have you?' he asked. 'I'm next to useless with a wand. I use my brain.'

'It's a wonder he's lived this long,' Sirius breathed under his breath. James bit his fist to avoid from laughing out loud.

Lily frowned. 'Professor…if you're—sorry, your words—useless…then why are you teaching us Defense Against the Dark Arts?'

Fletcher pulled out his pipe and lit it, inhaling with a long puff. 'It's Evans, right?' he said. 'Muggle born, aren't you?'

'What's that got to do with anything?' James said loudly.

Fletcher waved a hand impatiently. 'Nothin', nothin', I'm no muggle hater,' he said quickly. 'Just trying to keep you all clear in my head. Look. How many people d'you think want this job, hm? Bowen: dead. Mondego: dead. Bones: fired for teaching Unforgiveables to students.'

'Madma Bones wasn't fired…' Frank began.

'If she hadn't resigned, she woulda been,' Fletcher said. 'Dumbledore's a forgiving man, but even he's got his limits.'

Lily cleared her throat. 'So again—why are you teaching us?'

'I owe Dumbledore,' Fletcher said. 'I ain't got much in the way of skill. I won't deny that. What I've got plenty of is street smarts. Some of you will get by on skill, an' he's hopin' the rest of you can get by on that.'

Alice nodded slowly. 'That would make sense if you weren't just having us read from a textbook…' she said.

'Didn' think some of you would want to know the tricks of my trade,' he said with an eye at Frank who ruffled his hair nervously. 'Some of the other classes were only too eager to ask. The Slytherins especially,' he said.

Sirius looked aghast. 'And you told them?'

Fletcher shrugged. 'They're students,' he said.

'Future Death Eaters, more like!' Sirius exclaimed.

'Not all of them,' Lily said defensively. Sirius opened his mouth to argue but James stood on his foot underneath the desk.

Fletcher sighed. 'What you grow up to be is your own business. Some of you will go to one side or the other,' he said. 'If someone wants to ask me questions, I'll give them answers.'

As they left class, Sirius was muttering darkly. 'So we can look forward to future Death Eaters knowing all of his little tricks. That's very comforting,' he said.

'Lily is right, though, that not every Slytherin will become a Death Eater,' Remus said, although he looked somewhat unsettled.

Sirius threw his hands up. 'You know as well as I do that there's not a wizard who went bad that wasn't in Slytherin house,' he said angrily. 'It's just a miracle that I didn't end up in there. At least they got the useless member of the family,' he added.

'Haven't seen too much of Regulus so far this year, have we?' Peter said. 'Apart from the brawl, I mean.'

'So much the better,' Sirius fumed.

'You're taking this a little hard,' Remus said in a soft voice.

They arrived in front of the portrait hole and Sirius spun to face them. 'You should be, too!' he said. 'You three more than anyone! You know what's waiting for us out there! And Dumbledore's getting both sides trained up!'

'Easy, mate,' James said placatingly, placing a hand on Sirius' shoulder. 'No one's understating this. I'm sure Dumbledore has his reasons.'

Sirius seemed to calm down at James' words—not his reassuring, but the 'easy, mate'. 'Sorry,' he said. 'I'm sorry,' he added again, looking at Peter and Remus. 'I'm…I'm a little hyped up.'

'Why?' Peter asked.

They entered the common room and moved over near the fireplace. 'Christmas is coming,' Sirius said gloomily. 'And that means I have to go back home with my parents and Ickle Reggie the perfect son,' he said in a sickly tone of voice. 'Honestly, I wish I could just live here.'

'You could stay,' Remus said.

Sirius shook his head. 'Not without my parents' permission…and it's a bit of a toss-up whether they'll want to torment me by keeping me home, or have an excuse to pop the champagne by sending me away.'

James smiled sympathetically. 'You could always run away. Come join me at my parents' place. Provided you can get past the Aurors, that is,' he said.

'Still under guard?' Remus asked.

'I can't imagine why not,' James said dryly.

Sirius chuckled. 'I'd take it over my parents. Aunt Andromeda's husband had the right idea…' and he trailed off, blissfully reliving one of his favourite family memories, wherein a fist fight had been initiated by his Aunt's Muggle husband.

'You could always start a fight and see what happens,' James suggested.

'Yes, that would be so helpful,' Remus said with a roll of his eyes.

'I've been tempted,' Sirius said dryly, snapping out of his reverie. He did so to throw a startled look over James' shoulder. 'Incoming Wild Flower,' he said.

James glanced behind him to see Lily approaching. 'We were just leaving, see you at dinner,' Remus said hastily and he, Peter and Sirius were gone in a flash. James blinked.

'I honestly didn't realize they could move that fast,' he joked as Lily sat down.

'So…Disillusionment charms,' she said with a raised eyebrow.

James chuckled. 'Come on, Evans. All it takes for a trick to succeed is for the audience to believe it has,' James said.

Lily rolled her eyes and stared at the fire. 'You sound like Fletcher.'

James clapped a hand over his chest. 'Does your desire to wound know no bounds? First comparing me to Snape, now Fletcher?'

'Why are you hiding things from me?' she asked.

James dropped the smile. 'Look, Evans. There are certain things about me—about us,' he added, gesturing to the boys' dormitory. 'That are going to remain a secret. For now, anyway. You made that decision too when you wanted to stay as non-friends, remember?'

Lily went slightly pink. 'So you've been lying to me about things?' she asked.

'More like omitting certain details,' James chuckled. He leaned forward. 'All would be revealed, though, if you decided to drop amend our relationship status from non-friends to something else.'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Like what? Soul mates?'

'I'd settle for friends at this particular juncture,' James said. He was then serious again. 'Evans, I'm not an evil person. I have some secrets I keep because I have to. You know as well as I do who your best friend is.'

Lily looked appalled. 'And you think I'd just rush off and tell him?' she asked.

'If you thought I was breaking a school rule?' James countered.

'ARE you breaking school rules?' Lily asked as a ghost of a smile flittered across her face.

James mirrored her expression. 'Constantly,' he replied.

Lily shook her head. 'You're so full of yourself,' she muttered.

'Why is that a bad thing?' James asked. 'I'm serious. Why is it a bad thing to be confident, to be bold? Would my time be better spent moping, wallowing in how average I am?'

Lily frowned. 'Well, not especially, but some humility wouldn't hurt.'

'You've seen me like that,' James said with a wave of his hand. 'Not many people get to.'

'So what are you saying? That this bravado is all armour?'

James looked at her evenly. 'We all wear armour, Evans,' he said quietly. 'You guard yourself against me to protect your friendship with Snape. You of all people should know exactly what I'm talking about,' he added.

Lily stared at him. 'I know,' she whispered. They stared at each other for a moment when a rap came on the window behind them. Lily glanced over James' shoulder and frowned. 'Someone expecting post?' she asked.

James glanced back to see Seger, the Potter Family owl waiting by the window. His black fur with a brilliant shock of white running down his back. 'Seger!' James said as he opened the window and welcomed the owl in. It hooted affectionately and nipped at his hand as he untied the letter from his leg.

'Should I leave you be?' Lily asked, but James was already tearing the letter open and reading it earnestly. He was dimly aware of her watching, but that awareness faded. A new feeling rushed over him as he read the letter in his father's handwriting, and it must have played across his face. 'Potter?' Lily asked after a moment. 'Potter, what's wrong?'

James lowered the letter and looked at her. 'There…was an attack near Godric's Hollow,' he said.

Lily stood up. 'Your family?' she asked in a tight voice as her eyes went wide.

James shook his head. 'No wizards were hurt,' he said.

'But…?' Lily asked.

James met her searching gaze. 'Thirty two muggles are dead. And the Dark Mark was shot into the sky.'


	23. Symbols and Families

23

'Thirty-two muggles…' Lily breathed as she stared at the letter, her mouth open in shock. James felt numb for a moment, but that quickly passed as the wheels started turning in his head. When Lily looked up at him again, her bright green eyes made it clear that she was doing some quick thinking as well. 'Why?' she said. 'Why attack a group of helpless muggles within spitting distance of your family?'

James ran a hand through his hair nervously. 'Just to show they're close by? Scare us?'

'That's possible…' Lily muttered, scrutinizing the letter again. 'But they haven't been shy in the past about just waltzing in with their guns blazing,' she said. At the confused look on James' face, she waved an arm. 'Muggle expression,' she said impatiently. 'They haven't shied away from a fight with wizards in the past, is my point.'

James turned and looked out the window. 'I think it's a message for sure…'

'A message for you?' Lily asked.

'Maybe,' James muttered. 'But what?' He racked his brain. And just like that, he was back on the streets of London in June, looking into the menacing, whirring magical eye of Gilles Rochefort as he advanced upon him, like a predator stalking his prey. His teeth bared in a feral grin as he spoke in that eerily silky voice that exuded a calm, calculated malice.

'_You have personally offended not only me, but the Dark Lord. You, that mudblood and the other two—the Longbottom survivor and the Dearborn girl. Once I have destroyed you, along with this ridiculous faint hope that you have somehow come to represent, I will set about destroying them…'_

The pieces snapped together like a puzzle in James' brain. He spun on the spot, his dark brown eyes meeting the brilliant green of Lily's staring back at him. 'It's you,' he said suddenly.

'Come again?' Lily asked, confusion evident on her face.

'It's about you,' James breathed. 'Rochefort—he knows you're a muggle. I'm…I'm sure it's him. Killing muggles with my family close by, don't you see? .Godric's Hollow is meant to symbolize me…and the muggles are meant to symbolize you. Mudbloods. It's a symbol—a warning. '

'That he's going to attack me?' Lily asked.

James grabbed her arm and started guiding her towards the portrait hole. 'Not you, your family,' he said. 'We need to get to Dumbledore. Now.'

Lily didn't ask any questions, and they were off like a shot. They sprinted through the castle, going up and down what seemed to be far too many staircases. The castle which had so often seemed so small during their many escapades now felt impossibly large as they raced to the Headmaster's Office. They finally arrived what felt like an eternity later, both clutching stitches in their sides as they stared at the gargoyle which looked at them expectantly, waiting for the password.

'Any…guesses?' Lily panted.

'None,' James gasped.

'Potter? Evans?' came the voice of Professor McGonagall behind them and they spun on the spot to see her approaching. 'What are the two of you doing here? Supper is going to commence shortly…' she began.

'Professor—we need to see Professor Dumbledore now, it's an emergency,' James said. 'Evans' family is in danger—' he began.

McGonagall's eyebrows shot up. 'How do you know about that?' she asked.

James goggled at McGonagall as Lily stepped forward. 'About what?' she asked desperately. 'What's happened? Are they alright?'

McGonagall put a reassuring hand on Lily's shoulder. 'Calm down, dear, everything is fine—very well, follow me,' she said, stepping up to the gargoyle. 'Every-flavour beans,' she said clearly and it leapt aside. Feeling significantly calmer than he had a few moments before but anxious all the same, James followed McGonagall and Lily up the spiral staircase to the door leading to the Headmaster's office. Voices were clearly coming from inside, and McGonagall knocked.

'Come in,' came Dumbledore's voice and McGonagall opened the door. James was startled to see a number of people crowded into Dumbledore's office, some of whom he recognized and some which he did not. There was Bartemius Crouch, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, as well as Madam Bones. James' stomach clenched as he recognized the awful Dolores Umbridge, who had been present at his hearing in the summer. He then saw two adults who were most certainly not dressed as most wizards would—one was a man of medium height and build, with thinning hair and wire-rimmed glasses that covered brilliant green eyes, and his wife had flaming red hair…

'Mom! Dad!' Lily gushed and she ran forward past McGonagall and embraced the two. They wrapped her in a hug and began talking earnestly to each other. James felt like an interloper and looked at Dumbledore with a quizzical expression. 'I'm so glad you're alright,' Lily muttered.

'Heavens, dear,' Mrs. Evans said into Lily's hair. 'We've just arrived here, we don't know what's going on…'

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. 'Ms. Evans has arrived much more quickly than I anticipated, given that I had yet to send a messenger to fetch her,' he said, his lips twitching upwards as he looked at James.

'Yes, that's all very well,' came a new voice. James turned and saw a young girl of about Lily's age standing in the corner, her arms folded resolutely and looking profoundly put out. 'Now are you going to explain why we've been brought here or not?'

'Petunia,' the man that James took to be Mr. Evans said in a warning tone.

The girl named Petunia—who it suddenly registered to James was Lily's sister—snorted derisively. James had become somewhat accustomed to siblings looking alike, but he was struck by how completely unalike Lily and Petunia were. Where Lily's face seemed to radiate a friendly and compassionate aura (when it wasn't contorted in anger at James, a look he had been on the receiving end of far too many times), Petunia's face was narrow and bony, giving her the look of a rather severe horse. The fact that her eyes were narrowed in a very unpleasant way only contributed to this.

'A bunch of these—people,' she said, seeming to fight off the desire to use a different word, 'come and take us right from our dinner table without so much as an explanation?' Petunia said.

Madam Bones smiled faintly. 'We will provide you with one, if you would be so kind as to sit down?' she said.

'Some accommodation is required,' Dumbledore said with a wave of his wand, and several large, pink and fluffy chairs appeared out of thin air. Mr. and Mrs. Evans sat down on either side of Lily, but Petunia refused to move from the corner. James noticed Lily was doing her best to avoid looking at her sister. Crouch was standing by the fireplace, his lips pursed in a calculating expression. Umbridge, however, was staring right at James. James raised an eyebrow and stared right back.

'My name is Amelia Bones,' Bones said. 'I work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, you have met some of my colleagues in the past,' she said.

'Yes, we have,' Mrs. Evans said kindly, and Petunia made a snorting noise again, earning her a look of disapproval from Crouch.

Bones paid the exchange no mind. 'We received intelligence earlier this evening that your family was to be targeted by a group of dangerous Dark Wizards,' she went on.

'This would be these Death Eaters?' Mr. Evans asked.

Bones nodded. 'The very same,' she said.

'And why would we be targeted?' Mrs. Evans asked.

'Your daughter is in a very unique situation,' Bones said. Even though she was speaking softly, her voice seemed to boom and echo around the room so no word was missed. 'She is one of only four people who has ever crossed paths with the man calling himself Lord Voldemort…and lived to tell the tale,' she said.

Mr. Evans smiled, but his expression was worried. 'That's our Lily,' he said.

Bones smiled pleasantly. 'Indeed,' she said. 'However, that position comes with certain drawbacks. One of which being that she is now a bigger target than ever, and you—by extension—are as well.'

'I see,' Mr. Evans said heavily.

Petunia cleared her throat. 'You said there were four who have lived,' she said. 'Are the other three being harassed in the same way?'

Bones' eyes flicked to James. 'Perhaps Potter can answer that better than I can,' she said.

At the mention of the name 'Potter', Mr. and Mrs. Evans and Petunia's gazes all instantly flicked to James. Surprise registered on all of their faces, but it was Petunia that blurted: 'YOU'RE Potter?'

James frowned. 'Ah…yes?' he said. 'I don't think we've met…'

'Feels like we have,' said Mr. Evans, standing to shake James' hand as his wife did the same. 'Barely a day went by this last summer where we didn't hear your name.'

James' eyes flicked to Lily, who was now staring at the floor. 'Not all bad, I hope?' he said in what he hoped was an aloof tone of voice.

'Well, Lily here was keeping us apprised of the goings on with your trial,' Mrs. Evans said kindly. Lily's face was now matching the colour of her hair. 'She wanted to come and see you at the hearing, you know but…with things being as dangerous as they were, we just couldn't allow it.' James fought off the urge to smirk. Lily's family still had no clue that she had snuck off to the hearing and had in fact been there in James' support.

'We were happy to hear that they let you off,' Mr. Evans said.

James' lifted his gaze to look at Umbridge, whose face was impassive. 'Never a doubt in my mind,' he said. Her eyes flashed.

'Well, now we've established that my sister hasn't overstated his confidence,' Petunia said, her eyes lingering on James. 'So? Are you being harassed like we are?'

James nodded. 'If you know about my trial, you know why I was there,' he said. 'And I can assure you that the other two have found themselves in life or death situations as well.'

'Unbelievable,' Petunia said bitterly.

'Petunia, these people are trying to help,' Mrs. Evans said gently.

'Big bloody help!' Petunia said shrilly. 'If you'd just sent Lily to a normal school, she never would have met this—this criminal,' she said, gesturing at James, 'and she never would have run afoul of this Lord whatever, and we wouldn't be in this mess with these freaks!'

Mr. Evans stood up. 'That's enough,' he said firmly. When Petunia opened her mouth to argue, he placed a hand on her shoulder. 'Enough,' he said and she fell mercifully silent. James clenched his fists at his sides, bristling at being referred to as a criminal and a freak. McGonagall and Crouch both had ashen expressions on their faces, while Dumbledore looked quietly serene behind his desk. Umbridge was still watching James.

Bones continued on diplomatically. 'We have arranged for your protection,' she said quietly. A quick half-glance was exchanged between Crouch and Umbridge. 'I would urge you to look past any…prejudices you have against us, and accept it.'

'Of course, we would be extremely grateful,' Mrs. Evans said.

'I'm delighted,' Bones said. 'This is my superior, Bartemius Crouch, and Dolores Umbridge. They will escort you to a safe house.'

Petunia opened her mouth to argue, but Mr. Evans shot her a look and she fell silent. 'Will we be confined to it?' he asked.

'No, no, nothing that drastic,' Bones said with a smile. 'You'll be kept under surveillance. Believe me, you won't even notice that we're there,' she said gently.

'Thank you,' Mr. Evans said, offering his hand. He and Mrs. Evans shook the hands of Bones and Dumbledore, and then Mr. Evans turned to look at James. 'We owe you our thanks,' he said quietly. 'For saving our daughter from this…Voldemort last year.'

James smiled and looked at Lily, who was still staring resolutely at the floor. 'I owe her mine, because she saved me from him as well,' he said quietly.

Lily hugged her parents goodbye. She and her sister seemed to ignore each other as Crouch escorted them into the fireplace where they used Floo Powder to exit. Umbridge went next, turning and staring at James once more. 'Regards,' James said, offering a mock salute. Umbridge's lip curled and she disappeared in a puff of green flame.

'Well,' Dumbledore said. He glanced at Professor McGonagall. 'I would hazard a guess, Minerva, that we have some visitors down at the entrance to this office. Kindly go and tell Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin and Mr. Pettigrew that James and Lily will be joining them for supper shortly,' he said.

McGonagall nodded and left the office.

'Lily,' Dumbledore said quietly. She had sat down in the pink chair again and buried her head in her hands. 'Lily, are you alright?' he asked gently.

'Maybe I should go…' James said and he got up to leave, but Lily's arm flashed out and grabbed him by the wrist. She looked up at him, her eyes swimming with tears.

'Stay,' she croaked. 'Please.'

James nodded and sat down in the pink chair next to her. 'I find hot chocolate helps when I am feeling distressed,' Dumbledore said gently. 'Would you care for some?' When Lily did not respond, he waved his wand and a side-table appeared next to her chair with a steaming mug of hot chocolate on it. 'What has you feeling upset, Lily?'

Lily snorted. 'Isn't it obvious?'

'Of course you feel somewhat overwhelmed,' Dumbledore said quietly. 'It can be helpful to discuss the matter aloud.'

'So many things,' she blurted out. 'All of those people dead…because of me…my parents have to move…and my sister…'

Dumbledore nodded. 'Yes, unfortunately, a lot of terrible things have happened this evening,' he said. 'But believe me, Lily, when I tell you it could have been far worse.'

A thought suddenly occurred to James. 'How did you know? That Lily's family was going to be targeted?'

Dumbledore surveyed him carefully. 'I may ask you the same question, but I believe I already know the answer,' he said with a soft smile. 'I am guessing you received correspondence informing you of the attack near Godric's Hollow?'

'Yes,' James said, entirely aware that Dumbledore was deflecting his question.

'Lily,' Dumbledore said. 'Those people did not perish because of you. They perished because of the will of a profoundly evil man,' he said. 'It does not do to dwell on things for which you are at no fault. Instead, remember who is responsible.' Lily looked up, her eyes blazing as she looked at Dumbledore. She nodded wordlessly. 'James, can I trust you to escort Lily to dinner?' Dumbledore asked.

James glanced at Lily. 'You up for that?' he asked.

'Yes,' she said, wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her robes. 'Thanks for the hot chocolate,' she said absent-mindedly, waving at the untouched mug.

Dumbledore chuckled. 'All the more for me,' he said.

She stopped at the door to the office and turned. 'Are you going to answer Potter's question?' she asked. 'About how you knew my family was going to be attacked?'

Dumbledore smiled serenely. 'Unfortunately, that is information I need to keep to myself.' He paused. 'For the time being,' he added. 'Enjoy your supper.'

The two of them walked down the staircase and out into the hall. Lily was taking deep breaths as if steadying herself. 'Are you alright?' James asked, looking at her with concern.

'Fine,' she said, and then looked embarrassed. 'So—yeah, that was my family.'

'Oh really?' James asked in mock surprise. 'I hadn't noticed.'

'My sister hates me,' she said simply, ignoring his sarcasm.

'I don't think you were the most hated person in that office,' James said, his mind wandering to Umbridge.

Lily scowled. 'If she hadn't stopped glaring at you I was ready to bash her face into Dumbledore's desk,' she said.

James burst out laughing. In spite of the situation, he couldn't stop himself once he had started, and a tinkling sound met his ears as Lily did the same. He couldn't recall hearing her genuinely laugh like this before, but they both stood there, laughing like fools at the thought of Lily assaulting Dolores Umbridge. 'Were you just defending my honour, Evans?' James asked a moment later as he wiped his eyes.

Lily shoved him. 'I can't defend something you don't have,' she said coyly.

'Well, I'll be crying myself to sleep tonight now,' James replied.

'Thanks, Potter,' Lily said as they began to walk along the corridor. 'For staying.'

James smiled at her. 'Whenever you want me, I'll be there, Evans,' he replied. He then smirked again. 'So…I was a hot topic of conversation at your house over the summer?'

Lily went pink. 'Let's get to dinner,' she said hastily.

'Let's take our time, I want to hear about these conversations in detail,' James chuckled as they began to walk.

Lily laughed again. 'I know what you're doing,' she said, looking up at him. 'Taking my mind off things. It's working.'

James flashed a grin. 'It's a kind of magic,' he said.

Lily grabbed him by the shoulder and stood on her tip toes, kissing him on the cheek. James felt as if all the blood in his body had suddenly rushed to his face. 'You are some kind of magic, Potter,' she said with a sly smile. 'You really are.'


	24. Lipstick and Deals

24

'So…anything you want to tell us?'

Sirius had asked the question almost immediately after James and Lily had sat down at the Gryffindor table. The great hall had gone eerily silent upon their arrival, for word had spread around the school that the two of them had torn out of the Gryffindor dormitories in a panic and ended up in the Headmaster's office. James had noticed Snape glaring at the two of them, looking even paler than usual, as they headed to their table.

'What's happened?' Remus asked alert.

'Maybe Evans should explain,' James said.

Lily glanced along the table—it seemed everyone was waiting on her to speak. 'There was an attack near Godric's Hollow,' she said finally.

'Your family-?' Remus began, looking at James, who waved an arm.

'They're fine,' he said after a moment.

Lily looked grim. 'Muggles,' she said.

Frank swore under his breath. 'More theatrics from Malfoy, no doubt,' he muttered. 'I assume the Ministry paid the incident its due diligence? Which is to say none?'

'What do you mean?' Peter asked with a frown.

'The Ministry is getting alarmingly short sighted,' Frank muttered. 'Edgar Bones was telling me that his sister has been working hard to do more to alert the muggles, but she's facing a lot of resistance from the Minister herself. They want to worry about the magical community first.'

Marlene looked stricken. 'But the Muggles don't even know what they're up against…'

Alice shook her head. 'They're going to be wiped out just as surely as we are if someone doesn't do something about Voldemort,' she said firmly.

'So what happened next?' Remus cut in, looking at Lily intently.

Lily sighed. 'It wasn't just about the muggles…it was a message—a warning. Potter figured it out,' she said.

'You did?' Remus asked.

'Always the tone of surprise,' James chided.

Lily shook her head. 'Anyway, it was…well, it was meant to communicate to him that he was about to attack me. Or rather, my family.' Everyone looked tense. Marlene gasped. 'So we ran to tell Dumbledore, but by the time we got there, my family was already there.'

Frank frowned again. 'What?' he asked.

'They were all there. Dumbledore had already figured things out as well,' James said with a meaningful look at Sirius.

'They got tipped off?' Sirius asked.

Lily nodded. 'Dumbledore wouldn't say it, but there's not really another explanation, is there?'

Peter was wide-eyed. 'Well thank Merlin that they told, or your family could have been…' he trailed off and everyone stared at the table for a moment.

'So…you met Lily's family?' Remus asked in a not so subtle move to a lighter subject.

James cast a glance at Lily who was looking rose-cheeked again. 'I did. They were quite pleasant,' he said.

'Really?' Remus asked, glancing at Lily. 'Even Petunia?'

'Potter's being polite about her,' Lily said dismissively, although James saw the flash of hurt cross her face. No matter how much Lily denied it, he could tell that Petunia's words—especially when she had referred to all of them as freaks—stung. 'They weren't the only ones there, though. Fudge, Bones and Umbridge were.'

Sirius' eyes flashed. 'Umbridge? That hag from your hearing? What's she doing here?'

'I'd assume escorting Evans' family to safety,' James said.

'She didn't do much else then glare at Potter, though,' Lily cut in.

Sirius made to stand up. 'I'm going to go have a word with her—'

Remus grabbed him and forced him back into his seat. 'And just how would you intend to do that, you loon?' he said with a small chuckle. 'She's not even at the school.'

'She'd best hope we don't cross paths again…' Sirius muttered. James' eyes flickered to Lily whose lips twitched into a smile.

'Well, thank heavens that everyone's alright…except for those muggles…' Mary McDonald said.

After dinner, they began the walk back to the dormitories. Lily headed off to talk with Snape, waving good night and telling them not to wait up. James watched, his stomach doing odd flip flops as she walked off with Snape, speaking in hushed tones.

'You alright?' Sirius asked.

'Yeah,' James replied.

Sirius frowned at him. 'Oi,' he said. 'You've got something on your cheek.'

'What? Where?' James asked, but Sirius had suddenly grabbed his hair in one hand and his chin in the other and yanked him in for a closer look. 'OW!' James bellowed. 'What the BLOODY hell, Sirius—!'

Sirius was gawping at James. 'Th—that's—you—Moony! Peter! Look at this?'

Remus and Peter walked up from behind them. 'What on earth are you doing to James' head?' Remus asked.

'That's what I'm trying to find out—geroffme!' James said.

'Look! What's that look like?' Sirius demanded, turning James' head agonizingly to face Remus and Peter.

It was Peter who spoke after a moment. 'Is that…lipstick?'

'That's what I thought!' Sirius said, finally releasing James' head from his grip. James blinked tears of pain out of his eyes as he rubbed his neck ruefully. 'Did you…? You and Evans…?' Sirius asked, looking like a child on Christmas morning.

James waved an arm. 'It's not like that,' he said.

'Did she kiss you?' Remus whispered, ushering them all over to the side of a hall.

'Well, yes—' James began. He was instantly cut off by Sirius doing a bizarre jump in the air and whooping at the top of his lungs. 'Will you QUIET DOWN, Sirius!' he admonished.

Peter looked star struck. 'She kissed you? Like really kissed you?'

'How does one 'not really' kiss someone, Peter?' Sirius asked incredulously.

'By not kissing my lips,' James cut in.

Sirius waved an arm. 'Po-tay-toe, po-tah-toe,' he said. 'You got a kiss from Evans!'

Remus was looking at James and trying not to smile. 'I'm impressed. You must have done something really grown up to earn that.'

'What are you implying? That I'm not grown up most of the time?' James asked.

Remus chuckled. 'Implying? No. I'm flat out telling you that you're not grown up most of the time,' he said. James shoved him, but it was playful.

'So really—how was her family? What were they like?' Peter asked.

'Way to be a buzz kill, Peter,' Sirius muttered.

James sighed as they began walking. 'I don't want to say too much, I don't know if she wants people knowing. Her parents were great. Her sister was…different.'

Remus nodded. 'She's told me a lot about her. She's pretty prejudiced against witches and wizards.'

'Understatement,' James snorted as they arrived at the portrait hole.

'Did you get the chance to talk to Madam Bones at all?' Sirius asked.

James shook his head. 'They only talked to Evans' family and then they all left. With what Frank was saying down there, it sounds like they were pretty lucky to get even that.' He then frowned. He remembered that was Madam Bones was saying that they had organized protection for the family, that Crouch and Umbridge had exchanged a look. A look of what? Disagreement?

'…still think you should have hexed Umbridge,' Sirius was muttering.

James nodded. 'I think we're all in agreement about that,' he muttered. 'I must have really rubbed her the wrong way.'

'I think she was trying to make a name for herself trying to convict you,' Sirius declared. 'Didn't realize it was going to blow up in her face though, did she?'

They entered the common room to find that many of the students were retiring for the evening. James glanced over to the fireplace where all of their sleeping gear was. 'Well? Shall we all pack it in?' he said, smiling as Peter shot him an appreciative look.

'Marauders have each other's backs,' Remus said with a smile at Peter. 'Even when we're sleeping.'

When they all fell asleep, James could not recall. He simply found himself awakening to a starry sky looking down upon him, the stars twinkling brightly with an odd green hue. Upon blinking several times, James realized there were only two stars—and they were not stars at all, but the eyes of Lily Evans looking down at him. 'Are you awake?' she whispered.

James blinked a few more times and glanced over at the sleeping forms of Peter, Sirius and Remus. Peter had managed to curl up next to Remus, and Sirius was snoring mercifully softly. 'Yeah,' he muttered. 'What's up?'

'Can we talk? In the hall?' Lily asked.

James nodded and hauled himself out of his makeshift bed. Following Lily across the common room, he began to wonder what was going on. It didn't take long for him to figure it out once they were in the hallway. It was clear Lily had been crying. 'Evans? Are you okay?' James asked.

Lily shook her head. 'I can't stop thinking about those muggles,' she said softly, her voice cracking on the last word as she leaned back against the cold stone wall. 'Thirty two people, do you know how many that is?' she said, looking at him in horror. 'And they have no idea why. I mean, what? Wrong place, wrong time? What kind of way to die is that?'

'It's not fair,' James said quietly.

'And I know what Dumbledore said, and I know he's kind of right but…I just feel responsible. And I don't know how to deal with this,' she said, burying her face in her hands.

James leaned against the wall next to her. 'Please understand that I have no ulterior motive in asking this. What did Snape say?' he asked. She looked up at him. 'I have no idea what time it is, but I know it's late—I'm guessing you just got back.'

Lily sighed. 'Sev is Sev,' she muttered. 'He's just happy I'm alright. He—he tried to be bothered by what happened…but he was more concerned about me.'

'He cares about you a lot,' James said diplomatically.

'It's just so…frustrating…that just because it was muggles who got killed that it doesn't seem to register with people,' Lily said. 'They're people too. But so many wizards seem to regard them as lesser beings.'

James smiled faintly. 'If more of them met you, they might realize they were the lesser beings.'

Lily snorted. 'I don't know why you see me that way,' she said. 'I'm not perfect, Potter.'

'So what?' James replied. 'I can't love you in pieces, Evans. You are emotional, prone to wild mood swings, and you don't always wait to hear an explanation before you start—what was the term you used, guns blazing?' he asked with a smirk. 'But you're just…amazing.'

Lily looked at the ground, a smile on her face. 'You really think so, don't you?'

'I know so,' James replied. 'I just hope one day you can look past what an arrogant berk I am and see…something else,' he finished lamely.

'You're not always an arrogant berk, you know,' Lily said. 'Like now.'

'It feels like I'm like this more often than not. You just have bad timing,' James joked and Lily laughed out loud. 'Look, Evans. I know you feel bad—and I know what Dumbledore said about not dwelling, but if I could give you advice…I'd say to do just the opposite.'

Lily frowned. 'You mean wallow in it?'

'Not in those words,' James said. 'I mean…let yourself feel it. Let it make you sad, let it make you angry, and then just remember who caused it. Voldemort. And remember what needs to be done, remember that he needs to be stopped.'

'That works for you?' Lily asked.

James cleared his throat. 'When I…tried to kill Rochefort,' he said slowly. 'I thought of everything that he had done. I thought about him murdering Engelland. I thought of Professor Bowen. I thought about how he killed Frank's whole family, about how he kidnapped Sirius, about how he was always after us…after me, after you…it was almost enough.'

'To kill him,' Lily whispered.

James shrugged. 'Madam Bones told me you have to really mean Unforgiveable Curses for them to work,' he said. 'I guess I just didn't have it in me.'

Lily looked at him kindly. 'That might not be the worst thing in the world, Potter,' she said.

'I get the feeling we're going to cross paths again, Evans,' he said quietly. 'That he's going to try to come for me again. And I've lost the one surprise I had on him.'

Lily stood up straight and stared at James intensely. 'No you haven't,' she said. 'Because the next time you face him, I'll be there. I'll have your back, Potter.'

'Careful, Evans,' James smiled. 'You're starting to sound like a Marauder.'

'With each passing year, that sounds less and less awful,' Lily chuckled.

James offered a hand. 'You've got yourself a deal, Evans. We take Rochefort down together.'

Lily took his hand and shook it. 'He has no idea what he's up against.'


	25. Nightmares and Parenting

25

_James was running. Every muscle in his body was screaming for rest, for a reprieve, but still he pressed on. His lungs burned from a combination of exertion and smoke inhalation as he tore through the Forbidden Forest, not daring to look back. He didn't need to—the footfalls and snarls of the Inferi were so close behind that he knew he held only the slimmest of leads on them. His leg throbbed from where he had smashed it on a tree stump, his eyes were blurred from the blood dripping into them. He concentrated every ounce of his will power on continuing to run, drawing ragged breaths._

_His foot caught on a low branch and he was suddenly driven face-first into the ground, dirt and gravel ravaging his face. Before he could even think of pulling himself up, several Inferi landed on top of him, tearing at him, ripping at him. He knew he was about to die, and the only thing he could manage was a choked gasp—'Lily!'_

James sat bolt upright in bed, the word that he had spoken aloud echoing around the empty dormitory room. His sheets were soaked in sweat and his heart was pounding inside his chest. He reached to his night side table and grabbed his glasses, placing them on his nose as he tried to slow his breathing. He glanced at his alarm clock to see it was just past five in the morning, which meant it was officially Christmas Eve.

_Lovely_, he thought.

He had been almost entirely on his own for a week. In the days following the attack near Godric's Hollow, the not entirely unexpected owl had arrived from his parents informing him that they wanted him to remain at Hogwarts for the holiday as they felt it was safest for him. James knew there was no point in arguing, and was left to the abysmal prospect of facing Christmas alone. Remus and Peter had quickly checked with their parents and confirmed that they would be back the day after Christmas, which was something. Sirius had pledged to be back as soon as he could, but had been forced to admit it would depend on his parents as well. Given that his parents were prone to withholding things he wanted as a way of tormenting him, Sirius was not entirely sure how he was going to achieve this. They had spoken once early in the holiday via their two-way mirror, but James had not heard from him since, in spite of his many attempts to contact him.

A quick glance at the Marauders' Map had told James all he had needed to know about who was left in the school very early on. Only two other students had the misfortune of being stuck at the school over the Holidays—Severus Snape (whom James had avoided as much as possible), and a Gryffindor third year named Emmeline Vance. James had tried striking up conversation with her a few times, but she was extremely quiet and shy.

Gathering his clothes, James decided to go for a morning stroll around the castle. He padded down the staircase into the common room—even though there was only one other person he could potentially awaken, he still felt it was only manners to be as quiet as possible. He stepped through the portrait hole and instantly had to clamp his hand over his mouth from yelling as he nearly collided with Albus Dumbledore.

'Good Morning, James,' Dumbledore said cheerfully, a twinkle in his eye. James' mind briefly flashed to another morning stroll they had once taken back in his second year. James had just recovered from an attack on his family by Rochefort and the Death Eaters when he had nearly collided with Dumbledore outside the hospital wing.

'Out for a morning stroll?' James asked with a hint of a smile, which Dumbledore returned.

'Indeed,' Dumbledore replied and James fell into step alongside him as they moved. 'How have you been spending your free time?'

James mulled this over. Truthfully, he had been pouring over the Animagus textbook and practicing along in his dormitory. He couldn't very well tell Dumbledore that he had been working on something illegal, though. 'I thought I'd give homework a try, seeing as I've never done it before,' he cracked.

Dumbledore chuckled. 'Yes, I have heard that your study habits leave something to be desired. Curious, then, that your grades are so strong.'

'I like to think that when push comes to shove, I know what I'm doing,' James said.

'Very apt,' Dumbledore said with a nod. 'You certainly do seem to do well while winging it, if you'll forgive my use of modern parlance,' he said with a smile. 'That skill should serve you well in the Championship, which is already just around the corner,' he mused.

James cleared his throat. 'Any hints on what the prize is?' he asked.

'I believe that Ms. Meadowes has already provided you with several,' Dumbledore said with a chuckle. 'So I shall remain tight lipped on that matter.'

They were entering the entrance hall now. 'Sir…I have a different question,' James said suddenly. Dumbledore stopped to regard him carefully. 'It's something that occurred to us earlier in the year…we're all being taught how to use magic. How to defend ourselves and…well, do you worry that maybe you're preparing the other side for battle as well as ours?'

'You ask difficult questions,' Dumbledore said with a sigh. 'Do you know how Hogwarts first came to pass?'

James wrinkled his brow. 'The four heads put the school together.'

Dumbledore nodded. 'Indeed. Each of the heads had a certain type of student that they wished to admit. Salazar Slytherin, of course, wished to educate pure-blooded wizards who possessed great cunning, as he did. Rowena Ravenclaw desired to educate the brightest and most intelligent students. Godric Gryffindor those with brave deeds to their name, and Helga Hufflepuff was willing to take anyone who wished to learn.'

'How does that relate to my question?' James asked curiously. When Dumbledore raised his eyebrows, he backtracked. 'Not meaning—I'm sorry, that sounded rude—' he began.

'Not at all,' Dumbledore chuckled. 'I do tend to ramble on when making my way to a point, but I promise you, I am getting there. The fact is that if any one of the four founders had set up the school by themselves, a number of people may have been excluded. This would be the antithesis of what the four founders as a whole intended, which was to educate young minds.

'Which brings me to my point,' Dumbledore went on. 'We cannot presume to know what young children will grow to be. We can only be accepting of our students' assets and flaws and hope to guide them in the direction of honesty, compassion and doing what is right. Sadly, this will not always be the case. There will invariably be people who will grow up to do terrible things. But we cannot judge children on things they have yet to do.'

James nodded slowly. 'I think I understand,' he said.

Dumbledore smiled. 'You are a deeply conscientious person, James. And—with one notable exception—you do not make judgments about anyone.'

'Snape,' James muttered.

'Your rivalry with Severus, I am assuming, is based on the different paths you are both taking towards the upcoming conflict, but also about the different paths you are taking to the heart of Lily Evans.'

'Well,' James said uncomfortably. 'Sort of, I guess. It would be easier if he wasn't rushing off to be a Death Eater,' he mumbled.

'The world is not separated into good people and Death Eaters, though,' Dumbledore said softly and James burst out laughing. Dumbledore looked amused. 'You disagree?' he asked.

James shook his head. 'Not at all,' he said. 'It's just that Moony—Remus—told me that exact same thing several years ago.'

Dumbledore chuckled. 'I hope I did it justice,' he said. 'Have I sufficiently answered your questions?'

'I think so,' James said.

'I must be off then. We have a Christmas Feast to prepare, I do hope you will enjoy it. See you this evening,' he said lightly and he walked away, leaving James standing alone in the great hall to contemplate what had just taken place. Dumbledore was gone only a few minutes when a loud bang sounded on the doors. James frowned, looking around to see if anyone else was about. The bang sounded again, more of a thud—as if someone were slapping their hand against it from the outside.

James was just about to head off to find a teacher when the doors opened, and there stood Hagrid. With one arm, he was supporting someone who had clearly trudged through the snow to get to the school. Their robes were covered in snow, and the skin underneath was as pale from the cold as the snow adoring his robes was.

'Sirius!' James cried out, rushing forward to his friend's side as Hagrid released him. He leaned heavily on James' shoulder, his teeth chattering from the cold. 'What the hell are you doing here?' James asked.

'R—r—ran off,' Sirius muttered as Hagrid hauled the doors shut.

'Righ' foolish, that was. You coulda caught your death in cold! I'll go fetch Madam Pomfrey,' Hagrid said and he bounded off up the stairs.

James had taken off his school robes and wrapped them around Sirius' gloved hands, which were freezing. 'What do you mean you ran off?' he said as he pointed he grabbed a torch off the wall and held it out so Sirius could warm by its heat.

'Had a disagreement,' Sirius grimaced. For the first time, James noticed his face—he had several cuts and blemishes on his cheeks, forehead and nose. 'My parents don't like me disagreeing with them.'

James was aghast. 'Did they do this to you?'

Sirius snorted. 'The one on my chin was from my brother,' he said darkly. 'When I tried to hex him back, my father laid into me. We'd been fighting about Voldemort for days, so it was a matter of time, really…'

'What happened next?' James asked.

'We fought,' Sirius grunted. 'Damn leg,' he muttered and James quickly pulled up his pant leg to reveal it was poorly bandaged.

'What the hell did they do to you?' James asked.

'That was a Reductor curse,' Sirius grimaced.

'This is illegal,' James said fiercely.

Sirius chuckled. 'In the Black Family, it's called Tuesday evening,' he said. When James didn't look amused, Sirius sighed. 'Sorry…I'm trying not to dwell on it, mate. If I do, it's just depressing,' he said.

'Well, thank Merlin you're here, at least,' James said. 'Come on, I think I can manage getting you up to see Madam Pomfrey. We'll tell Dumbledore and he can tell the Ministry about your parents—' he began when the front door to the school opened once more. James glanced up and felt his blood boil. Standing there was a witch and a wizard he had seen only once before—there was no mistaking Orion Black, who bore such a striking resemblance to Sirius.

Walburga Black, his wife, looked wild eyed and furious. Orion's face radiated an intense fury. 'There you are,' he said in an angry tone to Sirius, who had launched to his feet once again, his hand rummaging for his robes. 'Don't be a fool, Sirius. Be silent and come now and your punishment will be less severe.'

'He's not going anywhere with you,' James said fiercely.

Orion Black's eyes flashed. 'You, Potter, have already endangered my son's life on one occasion. It would be unwise to do it again.'

James' wand was in his hand. 'Let me tell you something, Black,' he said. 'Threatening my best friend isn't a way into my good books.'

Walburga sneered. 'And what makes you think we'd be afraid of you?' she said.

Sirius barked with laughter. 'He's danced with Rochefort and Voldemort and lived to tell the tale. You really think you're any more frightening than them?'

'I said BE SILENT!' Orion said and he flicked his wand. The spell was so fast it cracked across Sirius' face before he could block it, sending him crashing to the floor. James' counter spell was only a moment behind, the red stunning spell soaring into Orion's midsection and sending him crashing into the wall.

Walburga slashed her wand, a white hot streak of flame hurtling towards James who tucked and rolled to the side. He waved his wand behind him, launching the torch he had brought for Sirius' warmth back at Walburga who rolled out of the way.

Sirius was back on his feet. 'Reducto!' he shouted and the curse caught his mother's arm, spinning her on the spot. Orion roared with fury and cast another spell at Sirius, who dove aside. James cast a second stunning spell, confused as to how Orion had bounced back so quickly from the first one. This time Orion blocked it, and he hurled another curse back at James, whose shield charm barely blocked it in time.

James wasn't so fortunate as to stop a curse that Walburga had sent his way. It struck him in the midsection and all of the air left his body as he crashed to the floor. Sirius roared with rage, but the distraction of seeing James hurt allowed Orion to disarm him. Sirius charged his father but Orion cast another spell, a bolt of light cracking Sirius across the face like a whip again and dropping him to the floor. 'Now,' Orion snarled as James fought to breathe. 'We go back home and debate whether to ever let you come to this castle again.'

The words had barely left his mouth when Orion was suddenly wrenched up into the air by his ankle. He cried out in anger, his wand having dropped from his hand. Walburga quickly joined him and James looked around for their saviour to see Dumbledore coming down the steps, his face white with fury. The rest of the teachers were behind him.

'Release me at once!' Orion bellowed.

'I shall be happy to, Orion, to the proper authorities. Minerva, please get in contact with Bartemius Crouch,' he said and Professor McGonagall hurried off.

'You wouldn't dare—' Walburga began.

Dumbledore's eyes flashed. 'I would have presumed that no parent would ever dare hurt their child, but it appears I have underestimated just how abysmally foolish the two of you are,' he said in a quiet voice.

'He is my son! I'll parent him however I see fit!' Orion snapped.

'He is my student, and I do not permit my students to be harmed,' Dumbledore said, and although the volume of his voice had not increased, it seemed to strike Orion dumb. Hagrid had returned with Madam Pomfrey and their jaws dropped at the scene before them—Sirius and James on the ground, the former bleeding from his face and the latter fighting to breathe, while Sirius' parents hung upside down in the air.

'Poppy, please take James and Sirius to the hospital wing. Hagrid, let these two down and stand guard until the Aurors arrive,' Dumbledore instructed.

'With pleasure,' Hagrid growled as Madam Pomfrey arrived at James' side. She waved her wand and he was mercifully able to breathe once more. She quickly magicked two stretchers into being and with the help of Professors Slughorn and Flitwick, was able to get James and Sirius onto them.

'You alright?' James asked urgently.

Sirius was smiling in an odd way. 'Fine,' he said in a brittle voice. 'Really fine.'

James smiled, but he was worried. Once Madam Pomfrey got them into the hospital wing, she went into her office to get some things. James stood from his bed and sat next to Sirius. 'Sirius…really. Are you alright?'

'I'm fine,' Sirius whispered and tears leaked from his eyes. James reached out and embraced his friend. Sirius buried his face in James' shoulder as James stared blankly at the wall behind him.


	26. Beginnings and Pledges

26

'This is stupid,' Sirius was muttering. He was wiping his eyes angrily as he sat on the hospital bed. Madam Pomfrey had given him essence of murtlap for his cuts and lacerations, while giving him a steaming cup of hot chocolate to help warm him up. 'It's not like this is something new. My parents have always been psychotic, so why am I bloody well crying? It's not like I love them.'

James pursed his lips. 'Maybe you wish you could?' he said.

Sirius sighed in frustration. 'Maybe,' he muttered.

'You said you'd been fighting about Voldemort?' James asked.

'Yeah,' Sirius muttered. 'They think he's got the right idea, you know. About muggles being our servants, slaves, victims, whatever you want to call it,' he said with a sigh as he leaned back against his pillow. 'They think that the rightful place for all muggles is somewhere on the bottom of our boots. Figure that Voldemort will bring about some golden age for Wizardkind, where there won't be a need for a Statute of Secrecy, things like that.'

James frowned. 'What about murdering people?'

Sirius snorted. 'They conveniently skate over that minor detail,' he muttered. 'Not the murder of muggles, mind you—they could care less about that. I pointed out the fact that they've attacked wizards too. Not the least of which was the Longbottom family, pure bloods like us.'

'What did they say to that?' James asked.

'That there will always be people who stand in the way of progress, and the Longbottoms must have cast the first stone,' Sirius said irritably. 'The fight was building up for days. Admittedly I egged them on a bit…'

James smirked. 'How?'

Sirius chuckled as he wiped his eyes again. 'I went out and got some muggle things,' he said with a bashful grin. 'I found some…ah, adult literature. I put a permanent sticking charm on it and fastened it to my bedroom wall. I also got this pretty cool musical instrument—a guitar. I had to hide it at Hogsmeade Station, though, it was so cold I couldn't really keep my grip on it.'

'We'll be sure to go back and get it,' James said firmly.

'I think that's where Regulus got the idea,' Sirius said darkly. 'He started pinning up all sorts of articles discussing Voldemort. Not the ones in the Prophet that are scared of him, mind you—there are some rag outlets that actually sympathize with him. I think Malfoy's dad owns a small paper. Regulus made sure I'd notice them every time I went by his room.'

James grimaced. 'That would be frustrating.'

'You have no idea,' Sirius muttered. 'He'd spout off about how Voldemort was just trying to create a world where we didn't have to hide, where we could rule. Where we wouldn't just be constricted to areas like Diagon Alley, Hogsmeade and the like—the world would be our oyster. And my parents fawned over every stupid thing that came out of his mouth. The breaking point was…was when I told him that I'd met him. And it didn't matter who you were, muggle, half blood or pure blood, that he would kill you. And that I hoped Regulus was dumb enough to cross paths with him so he could get himself killed.'

'That's when the fight started?' James asked.

Sirius nodded. 'That damned house elf, if you can believe it,' Sirius muttered. 'He 'slipped' with the knife he was using to carve the turkey we were eating for dinner. Stabbed my hand. So I punted him across the room. Regulus lost it, he's always liked that elf, and he hexed me. I hexed him and…it was off we went.'

'How did you get away?' James asked.

'Mom mangled my leg pretty good with the redactor curse,' Sirius muttered angrily. 'I was able to get to my room and seal the door. I gathered a few things and went out the window. I actually tried riding Regulus' broom for a few blocks.'

James laughed. 'You stole your brother's broom?'

Sirius chuckled. 'Snapped it in half, too,' he said with another bashful grin. 'But I was rubbish at flying it, so I ditched it, broke it and headed off on foot. Managed to catch the Knight Bus to London where I was able to board a train to Hogsmeade.'

'Well done,' James said. 'Your parents must have guessed you were headed here.'

'I never really thought of going anywhere else,' Sirius said. 'If you were at home, I would have gone to see you. I didn't want my family following me to Moony or Peter's houses, that would have gotten ugly. I thought if I could get to Dumbledore that he could deal with my parents.'

James nodded. 'Smart plan,' he said. 'At least you're away from them now. Crouch should sort them out.'

'Hopefully,' Sirius said. At that moment, the door to the hospital wing opened. James and Sirius looked over, half expecting to see Dumbledore and Crouch walk through, but it was two different people—Mr. and Mrs. Potter.

'Mom! Dad!' James shouted and he rushed over to embrace his parents.

Mr. Potter hugged his son and looked over at Sirius. 'How are you doing?' he asked.

'Better,' Sirius said. Mrs. Potter rushed over and embraced him, causing his face to go beet red. 'Thanks,' he muttered wetly as the two newcomers pulled up chairs and sat down. 'Come to visit James?'

Mrs. Potter smiled. 'And you,' she said. 'Dumbledore told us what's happened. We want to help.'

'Help?' Sirius asked. 'With what? The Aurors should be dealing with my parents…'

Mr. and Mrs. Potter exchanged a glance. 'Unfortunately, it's not exactly going down that way, Sirius,' Mr. Potter said gently. At Sirius and James' confused glances, Mr. Potter sighed. 'Orion and Walburga are free to go. The investigation is already finished.'

James' jaw dropped. 'What? How?'

'Umbridge,' Mrs. Potter said simply. 'It's a technicality—an extremely thin one, but a technicality nonetheless.'

Sirius looked like steam was about to come out of his ears. 'What sort of technicality?'

'No one apart from you four actually saw the fight. Dumbledore and the teachers arrived to find the two of you on the floor and Orion and Walburga standing there,' Mr. Potter said. He held up a hand when James made to interject. 'Your parents' story is that you had a quarrel with your brother and ran off. Your injuries could be explained by the cold you fought through to get here.'

Sirius was spluttering. 'That's—THAT'S—OUTRAGEOUS!'

'I know,' Mr. Potter said.

'And Umbridge bought that?' James asked incredulously.

Mrs. Potter cast a warning glance at Mr. Potter who shrugged. 'No point in not telling them,' he said and she sighed. 'If the two of you weren't friends—and if you hadn't called her a miserable old bat, Sirius—Orion and Walburga would probably be in serious trouble. I think she's turning a blind eye.'

'But how can that be allowed to happen?' James asked.

Mrs. Potter looked down at her hands. 'They have an out because there were no witnesses to the actual fight. She said that the Ministry of Magic does not cart people off to Azkaban on the basis of assumptions.'

'That's funny,' James said hotly. 'She was sure willing to assume a lot about me during my trial!'

Mr. Potter sighed. 'I never would have allowed this in my day,' he muttered.

'Well, what's Crouch playing at by sending her?' James asked.

Mrs. Potter pursed her lips. 'Bartemius can't really afford to pick and choose his employees at the moment,' she said slowly, casting a worried glance at Mr. Potter. 'The Ministry is spread pretty thin at the moment.'

'I think having nobody would be better than having Umbridge,' James said, causing his father to laugh.

'The point is,' Mrs. Potter said, continuing on in her even tone. 'That there is no evidence to charge Orion and Walburga with, and they are being allowed to go free. Your brother also gave them a glowing endorsement.'

Sirius was aghast. 'Why did they talk to Regulus and not me?'

'For the reasons we just discussed, but from an official standpoint, the Ministry is more likely to listen to those at home rather than a runaway,' Mr. Potter said in a tired tone of voice. 'Even if the runaway is infinitely more admirable,' he added with a small smile at Sirius.

'So…I have to go back?' Sirius asked hollowly.

Mrs. Potter smiled. 'That's where we'd like to help,' she said. 'Your parents…have not expressed willingness or a desire to bring you back home,' she said gently.

Sirius snorted. 'Good, feeling's mutual.'

'We have a proposition for you, and you can take as much time as you like to consider it. We'd like to offer for you to stay with us,' Mrs. Potter went on. 'There's plenty of room in our house, we have more than enough means to support you, and we would absolutely love to have you in our house and as part of our family.'

Sirius' eyes went wide and his mouth opened and closed. 'You want me to come stay with you?' he asked at last.

Mr. Potter held up a hand. 'As she said—take as much time as you need to consider it. There is no rush, and it's a big decision.'

'Are you kidding? I'd love to live with you!' Sirius said excitedly. 'I don't need any time to think that one over!'

James grinned. 'Are you sure? You'd have to deal with living with a marked man. Rochefort and Voldemort could show up on our doorstep at any moment,' he said, ignoring the alarmed look from his mother.

Sirius laughed. 'I think I'd take that over my parents,' he said happily.

Mr. Potter smiled. 'We'll iron out the details with the Ministry. I'll go around to pick up anything that you'd like brought over—I don't think it would be wise to send you back there.'

Sirius shook his head. 'Anything I needed is in Hogsmeade. I left it in the basement of Honeydukes.'

'Very well, I'll pick it up from there,' Mr. Potter said with a smile. He stood up and Mrs. Potter joined him. 'We'll come round tomorrow for dinner, Albus extended the invitation to us for a Christmas Supper. That is, if you don't mind eating with your parents in front of all of your school friends?' Mr. Potter asked with a smirk.

James laughed. 'I think I can stomach that,' he said as his parents left the Hospital Wing. He glanced at Sirius who was now grinning from ear to ear. 'Look at that! Just like that, things are looking up. It's a Christmas miracle,' he said. 'We get to live together! This is going to be wicked, I think if I can put an undetectable extension charm on my room you could just move right in there…'

Sirius chuckled. 'You're okay with this?' he asked.

'Of course! Why wouldn't I be?' James asked in surprise.

Sirius shrugged. 'I just wanted to be sure.'

James contemplated him for a moment and then slapped him in the face. 'OI!' Sirius yelled.

'That's for even thinking that. And…a little bit of getting even for slapping me after my talk with Snivelly,' James said with a laugh. His laughter was soon joined by the bark like laugh of his best friend.

Sirius smiled. 'Thanks for having my back, James,' he said after a moment. 'Against my parents. It's…really different having someone on my side help me stand up to them.'

'Marauders always have each other's backs,' James said bracingly. 'On another note, we're going to have to get that Umbridge woman something fierce,' he said.

Sirius' eyes glinted. 'Are we thinking of a prank?' he asked excitedly.

'Just to start,' James said with a mischievous look.

'That's a much bigger fish than old Snivelly,' Sirius said sagely. 'We could get in big, big trouble if we're caught.'

'Have we met?' James asked with a chuckle. 'We won't get caught.'

'So what do you have in mind?' Sirius asked, anticipation evident in his voice.

'Oh it's going to be good,' James said quietly. 'She's going to wish she'd never heard of me, but she'll never forget the name 'Potter'.'


	27. Penpals and Murals

A/N: Apologies for the e-mail alerts that went out to everyone. I had accidentally deleted the first two chapters of the story, so they needed to be re-added. Sorry!

27

The next morning, James awoke to Sirius jumping on his bed and bouncing up and down. This ended up being ill advised as Sirius ended up smacking his head on the top of the four poster. He fell back down onto the mattress, clutching his head as James nearly fell out of the bed laughing. 'What I was trying to say,' Sirius groaned, pointing behind him. 'Is that presents are here.'

'Wicked!' James gasped as he flicked on the light. A pile of presents sat at the end of both his and Sirius' beds and they excitedly looked them over.

'What to open first,' Sirius mused.

James reached underneath his mattress and pulled out a small box. 'Here—open mine!' he said and he tossed it over. Sirius grabbed the small box and shook it. He tore into the packaging and whistled as he pulled out a small penknife.

'Wicked,' he said. 'A muggle knife?'

'Not just any knife,' James replied as he bounded over to the dormitory door and locked it. 'Here, bring that over and watch.' Sirius handed James the knife and he slipped it between the door and the frame and immediately popped it open.

Sirius' jaw dropped. 'How'd you do that?' he asked excitedly.

'It's all the knife. This knife opens any door and unties any knot,' James said proudly.

'This is seriously cool!' Sirius said. 'Where did you get it?'

James grinned. 'Well, you know how I was under guard by Aurors all summer? I sort of nicked it from one of them.'

Sirius burst out laughing. 'Well played! Not Moody, I hope, he strikes me as one to hold a grudge…'

'No, Moody's alright. And I think he might actually resort to murder if I ever tried that on him,' James chuckled. 'It was a humourless git named Rufus. He spent days trying to find it, it was rather entertaining.'

'You never cease to amaze,' Sirius mused. 'Here's mine!' He tossed James a wrapped package and he opened it up.

'A Quick and Easy Guide to the Holiday Classics,' he observed.

Sirius nodded. 'You know how you struck gold when you get Lily that stuffed reindeer last year? Well, this is a guide—written by Muggles—to all the Christmas stories they have. Rudolph is in there, but there's loads more. Nothing compared to Beedle and Bard, mind you, but some pretty neat stories all the same…'

'Where did you get this?' James asked as he flicked through the pages.

'Muggle shop. I snuck the adult literature into the pages there. They don't let you buy that unless you're over eighteen,' Sirius said with a smirk. 'You could always do Muggle Studies, of course, but that means showing up to class and being lame. Learning outside of class means you're independent and roughing it. At least that's what I keep telling myself.'

James chuckled. 'Hey, it looks like you get something from my parents!'

'You too,' Sirius said pointing to a large, tightly wrapped shape. It was quite obviously in the shape of a broomstick. James leapt forward and tore off the wrapping, his jaw dropping as he looked down at the Nimbus 1500. 'Whoa,' Sirius said as he hopped over to take a look. 'That looks wicked!' It had a long black stock with a golden trim before the broom bristles at the bottom. 'Must have been expensive…I hope your parents didn't spend much on me. At least it looks small,' he remarked as he began to open the envelope in his hands. As he opened it, a small key fell into his hand.

'What's that?' James asked curiously.

Sirius frowned. 'I don't know…a key to something,' he mused. 'I guess I'll ask your parents about it at dinner.'

They went through the rest of their presents—Remus had sent them identical day planners, causing them both to roll their eyes. Peter had sent Sirius a book on techniques to woo a girl, which Sirius had initially derided as a waste of time, but had subsequently begun reading in earnest. James had received a book on professional Quidditch teams in England, which now featured a three page excerpt the Appleby Arrows' starting Keeper, Dorcas Meadowes. James read it over quickly, smiling as he read about her three Cup victories at Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with the 'dominant Gryffindor house'.

Much to James' surprise, Alastor Moody had sent him a gift—a sneakoscope. James placed it on his bedside table and noticed one last, slender box. He picked it up and pulled open the little flap.

'To Rudolph.

- Evans.'

James opened it up to find a long, cylindrical object inside. It was something like a quill, but not like any quill that he had ever seen before. He saw a small note folded up in the box and pulled it out to read. 'Potter – I know we're not exactly friends, but maybe we can be pen pals. Merry Christmas! Write often. Evans.'

'What's a pen pal?' James mused.

Sirius looked up from his dating book, his nose wrinkled. 'I think that's a muggle competition where they take turns kicking each other in the genitals until someone collapses,' he said.

'Er—that can't be right,' James said, stifling a laugh.

'I'm pretty sure that's what it is,' Sirius said knowingly.

James held up the cylinder. 'Why in the world would Evans want to engage in a crotch-kicking contest?' he asked.

'Lily sent you a present?' Sirius yelped, leaping over to take a look. 'Oooh…almost looks like a wand, doesn't it?' he asked.

'I was thinking of a quill, but there's no tip,' James muttered. 'Press that button on top!'

Sirius complied and a little tip came out. James grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote on it—he fought off the urge to gasp. The ink that flowed from it was green, but not just any green—it was the exact shade of green that Lily's eyes were. James found himself staring at the parchment, his mouth slightly open. 'Bet you Snivelly's never gotten a gift like that,' Sirius said with a smirk.

'She wants me to write her. That's what a pen pal is,' James declared.

Sirius nodded thoughtfully. 'I guess that makes more sense…but then what do they call that kicking thing?' he mused.

The day passed in a blur. Mr. and Mrs. Potter remained tight-lipped at dinner over what Sirius' key was for, telling him that he would find out in the summer. Sirius guessed that maybe it was a key to his bedroom, while James thought a key to their family house would be more symbolic. Sirius joked he wouldn't need a key to any house thanks to his new pen knife.

The following morning saw students beginning to return after the Christmas break. First among them were Remus and Peter, who listened first in horror as James and Sirius described the battle with Sirius' parents, and then with relief when they told them that Sirius was going to be living with James' family from now on.

'And they seriously just let them off the hook?' Remus asked incredulously.

Sirius snorted. 'No witnesses to the actual fight,' he said.

'But that's just negligent,' Remus said indignantly. 'She's clearly got something against the two of you and she's abusing her position!'

'Preaching to the choir, mate,' James said.

Sirius grinned. 'That's why we intend to take things into our own hands.'

'You want to do what now?' Peter asked worriedly.

'We're going to prank her,' James said, bracing himself for the inevitable tidal wave of guilt that usually flowed from Remus whenever anything resembling rule breaking was suggested. He was surprised then, when Remus leaned back.

'So what's the plan?' he asked.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. 'That's it? No trying to talk us out of it?'

Remus shook his head. 'I don't try to make a habit of breaking rules or making enemies, but I have my boundaries same as you both do,' he said firmly. 'Between this woman trying to get James carted off to Azkaban, and now preventing your parents from being punished for what is clearly abuse…I think this woman has something coming to her.'

'Well, well, welcome to the dark side, Moony,' James said cheerfully.

'So what's the plan?' Peter asked in a resigned tone.

James rubbed his chin. 'I have two prerequisites,' he said. 'It has to be public, and it has to be humiliating.'

'Too bad we already dropped somebody off the building by their underwear, I'd like to do the same to her,' Sirius chuckled.

Their scheming took up much of the next few days as more and more students arrived back at the school. Among the last to arrive was Lily Evans, who came back the day before classes were set to resume. She didn't make a big show of entering, and strolled up to the dormitories to deposit her bags. James—who was sitting by the fire with the others—smiled as this occurred.

'I forgot to ask—did you get her anything?' Sirius asked.

James grinned. 'Wait for it,' he said.

The door to the dormitory opened slowly and Lily emerged. Her cheeks flushed, she scanned the room until her brilliant green eyes locked on James and narrowed. 'That doesn't look like a particularly pleasant look…' Peter said worriedly as she slowly began to descend the stairs. 'And she's kind of moving like a predator.'

'Come on, Peter,' James chuckled as he stood up. 'Don't you know that every predator is something else's prey?' he said as he walked over to meet Lily. 'Alright, Evans? Good Christmas?'

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'How did you do that?' she asked.

'Do what?' James asked innocently.

Lily glanced around. 'How did you get that—that _thing_ onto the ceiling of my bed?' she asked, fumbling over the words as she did so. 'Boys can't get into the girls' dormitory!'

'You realize we're at a school for magic, right?' James said with an amused grin.

Lily snorted. 'I buy you a nice gift and you plaster something like that to my bed…' she muttered.

'Easy, Evans. That's only part of the present.'

'Present?' Lily asked in exasperation. 'I'm taking it off right away.'

James grinned wider. 'Good luck with that,' he said.

Lily groaned. 'You've stuck it there permanently, haven't you?'

'Come on, Evans. Bright witch such as yourself, you should have it down in no time,' James said with a grin.

'Wonderful,' Lily muttered. 'So what's the other part of the present?'

James produced a snow globe from his robes and handed it to her. 'This,' he said. 'Give it a shake.'

Lily looked at him sceptically and shook the globe. They both watched as a tiny reindeer whipped around inside of it—not just any reindeer, but one with a glowing red nose. She looked up at him in surprise, and then glanced back down at the reindeer in time to see it wave up at her. She laughed in spite of herself and James grinned. 'Happy Christmas, Evans,' James said quietly. 'I'll write as often as you want.'

Lily shook her head in amazement. 'There you go again,' she muttered. 'I came down here ready to hex you and now I'm wondering if I should spare you in the Combat Championship.'

James laughed as he guided her over to the fireplace where the others were sitting. 'You think you could take me, do you?' he asked.

'I know I could,' Lily replied in a confident tone. 'You four are always scheming together, but you're not the only ones who can come up with plans,' she said cryptically. 'So how did you get that thing onto my bed?' she asked as she sat down.

Remus laughed as he looked at James. 'What did you do to her bed?' he asked incredulously.

'I improved it,' James said confidently as he sat down.

'He stuck a big mural of himself onto the ceiling of my four poster,' Lily muttered as the others laughed.

James glanced across the room to see Emmeline Vance sitting by herself reading a book. She glanced up and he offered a small salute, causing her to smile shyly and look back down at her book. 'I had help,' James said with a grin.

'Since when did you talk to Emmeline?' Lily asked in surprise.

'She was here over the holidays. She doesn't say much, but she was happy to help,' James said with a chuckle. 'She's good with charms, too.'

Lily suddenly had a look as if she had just realized something and then she smirked. 'Duly noted,' he said coyly. 'I hope you fit in some practice over the holidays for the Combat Championship. You're going to need it.'

'I think I've had enough practice to last a life time,' James said dryly. 'Enough to take you, anyway.'

'It's nice to see that you two will soon be upgrading from verbal sparring to physical combat,' Remus chuckled.

Sirius sighed. 'We ought to start a bet on what happens first—kiss or kill.'


	28. Alliances and Convincing

28

Classes resumed, but all the talk in the school was beginning to turn to the Hogwarts Combat Championship which was now only a few weeks away. Students looked on in interest as officials from the Ministry of Magic began to arrive and re-arrange the school, removing benches and statues from certain hallways. Various classrooms became off-limits as the Ministry's workers were inside making changes as the event closed in.

'Not that I plan on spending any time there, but I wonder where the safe zone is going to be?' Sirius mused aloud one day as they headed back to their dormitory after class. 'And how will the people who have been eliminated see what's going on? Do they have a television?'

Peter looked confused. 'A what?'

'Television,' Sirius said. 'Muggles have it—it's ingenious, really. Let's you watch stuff on a big screen.'

'What sort of stuff?' Peter asked interestedly.

'Christmas stories, for one,' James volunteered, earning a grin from Sirius.

Peter looked impressed. 'How do you know all of this?'

'I've been reading up on Muggle stuff,' Sirius said nonchalantly.

'Preparing for taking Muggle Studies?' Remus asked hopefully.

Sirius snorted. 'I don't need a nonsense class,' he said dismissively, causing Remus to shake his head. 'I'm clever enough to figure it all out on my own.' He paused. 'But, ah, that said, I wouldn't mind you telling me how they intend to show what's going on in the school, Moony…' he added with a bashful glance as Remus laughed.

'Nothing as fancy as what you suggested,' Remus said. 'Ever played wizarding chess?'

'Yes,' all three of the others answered automatically.

Remus nodded. 'Well, they have a scale model of the school built and little chess-like pieces of every student who goes inside. You can basically watch all the action unfold.'

Peter goggled. 'You mean they'll be looking at miniature versions of us?' he asked, looking up as if expecting to see massive faces staring down at him from the ceiling.

'We won't see them, Peter,' Remus chuckled. 'They won't actually be looking at us—just little models that have been bewitched to duplicate our exact movements.'

Sirius looked thoughtful. 'You have a funny definition of fancy. That sounds pretty neat.'

'So does television,' Remus said thoughtfully. 'Is it like a longer version of our photographs?'

Sirius began regaling them with the results of his research into the muggle world as they entered the Gryffindor common room. As was becoming more and more common, everyone was sectioned off into little groups. The battle lines were clearly being drawn, and everyone could see the alliances forming. Gideon and Fabian Prewett sat by themselves on the window sills, talking animatedly and making all sorts of brutal gestures with their hands. A frightened group of first years seemed to be mesmerized by them, and James had a sneaking suspicion that the hand gestures were for show.

Lily, Marlene, Alice, Mary and Emmeline Vance were huddled in a group. James was surprised to see Emmeline in their ranks, but then further wondered where Frank was. He spotted him by the fireside a few moments later, reading an incredibly thick textbook. 'Alright, Frank?' he asked as the four of them sat down on the seats near the fire.

'Splendid,' Frank said. 'Dorcas mailed me her Defense textbook from last year, since none of the seventh years at the school wanted to let me look at theirs this year,' he chuckled.

Remus' eyebrows shot up. 'Ah…any chance we could look at it?'

Frank handed him the book confidently. 'I'd recommend giving years five and six a read before trying that. I've already gone through them and this one still may as well be printed in Japanese,' he grunted as he cracked his neck. 'You lot figured out where in the school you're going to bolt to yet?'

Sirius smirked. 'You looking to hunt us down first?' he asked.

'Of course not,' Frank replied with a roguish wink. 'In all seriousness, I want to get a piece of the Slytherins. From what I hear, they might be allying as a house to start things off.'

Remus wolf-whistled. 'That would make things challenging,' he said.

Frank nodded. 'They're hoping the rest of the school will be so divided that they'll be able to conquer it.'

'Great,' Peter muttered miserably.

Sirius snorted. 'That's just fine with me, they can bring it on. I prefer a straight fight,' he said proudly.

'You might,' Peter moaned, earning a sympathetic look from Remus.

'If they're moving around in big groups, they could be easier to take out,' James said slowly. 'If we're scattered and spread out, it could actually be an advantage for us.'

Frank chuckled. 'I knew you'd be the one to look at this as a winning scenario,' he chided.

'Well, there's certainly no use walking around going 'oh bollocks, we're all dead'. Even if their strategy ends up being successful, we'll go down in a blaze of glory,' James said firmly.

Remus smiled from where he was examining the book that Frank had given him. 'Inspiring,' he said, and then he looked thoughtful. 'I wonder what that will mean for Severus and Lily.'

'What do you mean?' Sirius asked sharply.

'Well,' Remus said. 'Their friendship has been repaired, but we know they've had disagreements about the friends they've made in the school. If Severus plans to ally with the rest of Slytherin House, it could cause some friction between him and Lily.'

'There's hope for you yet, James,' Sirius quipped causing James to laugh.

'Have you heard of any other strategies, Frank?' Peter asked.

Frank shook his head. 'The Ravenclaws are keeping things close to their chest right down to every student. If I had to guess, I'd say their game plan might not be all that different from Slytherin's.'

'And what about you and Alice?' James asked with a raised eyebrow.

Frank cast a glance over at her. 'She's positively devious. I think we'll have enough surprises in store for people that we'll stay in the game for a while, at least,' he said modestly.

'How did you say they entered us into the school again?' Peter cut in, looking at Remus.

'One student per minute gets a portkey that takes to them to a random point in the school,' Remus rattled off mechanically. 'We go in alphabetical order.'

Peter looked thoughtful for a moment. 'So what does Sirius do until we get in?' he asked.

'What are you talking about?' Sirius frowned.

'Well,' Peter said. 'We go in alphabetically…one student per minute. There's about a thousand students, so that's around sixteen hours to get everyone inside.'

'Yeah, and…?' Sirius said in confusion, but James was beginning to see where Peter was going.

Peter looked worried. 'You're at the start of the alphabet, Sirius. James, Remus and I are in the middle,' he said quietly. 'You could end up on your own in the school for several hours.'

Frank smirked. 'Have you lot ever been apart for a few hours?'

'Har har,' Sirius said but he looked somewhat worried. 'Damn…guess there's not much chance of me changing my last name to Potter, is there?' he muttered with a chuckle.

James clapped him on the shoulder. 'We'll figure something out,' he said firmly. 'You'll have pretty well free reign of the castle for the first bit being as close to the start as you are. You could gain a position of strength and hold it until we get there.'

'I'll leave you lot to discuss strategy in peace,' Frank said as he headed off to catch Alice, who had just finished chatting with Lily, Marlene, Mary and Emmeline.

Sirius glanced nervously over his shoulder at them. 'Damn, I never thought of this,' he muttered.

'What happened to preferring a straight up fight?' Remus asked, trying and failing to maintain a straight face.

Sirius stuck his tongue out at him. 'That's when I thought we'd all be in together. Going in alone, never knowing when someone might just pop up in front of me thanks to a random portkey…this makes things complicated.'

James looked around to make sure they were alone. 'Really, it makes matters quite straight forward. We'll give you the map,' he said, Remus and Peter nodding in agreement.

Sirius shook his head. 'No way. What if…what if I end up getting eliminated before you three even get into the school? Then none of us will have the map, and that's our one big advantage over the rest of the playing field. We'll need that, especially if we're going to surprise the fifth, sixth and seventh years,' he added.

'You'll be fine,' James said reassuringly. 'With the map as your guide you'll be able to avoid the big groups. Just don't let yourself get cornered.'

Peter nodded enthusiastically. 'And make sure you have multiple ways to escape,' he said. 'That way if you're being attacked by small groups they can't hem you in.'

'Good strategy, Peter,' Remus said.

'You really think I'll be fine?' Sirius asked.

'You're one of the cleverest students in the school,' Remus said calmly. 'Add the map to that and you'll be quite frightening indeed.'

Sirius rubbed his chin. 'I wonder if anyone else has thought of something like that…' he muttered. 'I definitely wouldn't put it past Lily. She's smart and she's good at magic.'

'She's too fundamentally honest,' Remus chuckled.

'Oi, we started that map with good intentions, remember?' James chuckled. 'Protecting the school?'

Remus raised his hands in a placating gesture. 'True, I'm not taking shots,' he said. 'We should compile a list of all the students here so we can calculate exactly how long it will take for each of us to arrive. That way we can know when to expect each other.'

'Good idea,' James said. 'Anyone have a watch?'

Sirius grinned. 'I picked up a few in one of the muggle shops.'

'They aren't strictly a muggle thing, though,' Remus said with a frown.

'No, but these ones are—they don't have hands that point at numbers, they just show the numbers on its face and it changes as the time does. Very obviously not a wizard's watch, thought it would drive my parents spare,' Sirius said.

James nodded. 'Well that's that decided, then,' he said. He was pleased to see that Sirius seemed to be feeling more confident now that they had a plan in place.

Remus and Peter were now charting out people in their house. Alphabetically speaking, Alice Dearborn and Lily Evans would be first among their after Sirius friends to enter. Frank Longbottom would be next, followed by Remus, Mary McDonald and Marlene McKinnon. Then Peter would go, followed by James, and lastly the Prewetts.

'At least I won't have to contend with them on my own,' Sirius said with a shudder as he glanced over to where they were lounging easily by the window.

James smiled. 'I think they'll be more worried about picking off Slytherins as opposed to us. As long as we stay out of their way in the early going, they should leave us alone.'

'That might be a good strategy, especially for the two of you,' Remus said. At their quizzical looks, he smiled. 'You've both been in the press a great deal for your many run-ins with the Death Eaters. It's no great mystery that you are both very talented when it comes to duelling. If a group gets it in their head that you're their biggest threats, they may try to hunt you down.'

James laughed. 'Lovely. As if I wasn't a big enough target outside of the school already.'

Sirius shook his head with a sigh. 'Well, if their aim is to get us ready for what's waiting out there in the real world, then mission accomplished I suppose,' he mused.

Remus nodded. 'We need to remember that ultimately, that's what this is all about,' he said quietly. 'Preparing us for what's waiting out there.'

'Can we talk about something else?' Peter muttered.

Sirius rolled his eyes. 'I suppose we'd better change the subject before Peter wets himself,' he said. James cuffed him across the back of the head. 'Only joking, of course,' Sirius added in an unconvincing tone as Peter flushed red.

James glanced across the room to where Lily was now sitting by herself, reading an advanced charms book. He got lost in thought as he stared at her, the way her wavy red hair fell elegantly into her face, obscuring her bright green eyes from his view…

'What if it comes down to the two of you?' Sirius asked suddenly. James looked over at him to see he was looking at Lily as well. 'Do you think you could do it? Eliminate her from the game?'

James glanced back at Lily who looked up at that exact moment and saw him. She smiled slightly and James managed a half smile back. 'All's fair in love and war, right?' he said with a half grin at Sirius, although he wasn't really sure who he was trying to convince more—Sirius or himself.


	29. Preparations and Peace

29

The day before the tournament, the school was positively electric. Massive camps were being constructed out in the grounds of the school and James was reminded of a circus. He knew from experience that to look inside one would be just like looking inside of a building as opposed to a little tent, but it was still somewhat comical to look at. Officials from the Ministry were everywhere; the Minister for Magic, Millicent Bagnold, could be spotted in conversation with Dumbledore from the windows. James had also seen Bartemius Crouch, Madam Bones, and—with a thrill of equal parts loathing and glee—Dolores Umbridge.

There were also members of the media there including several reporters from the Daily Prophet. At breakfast that morning, Dumbledore had informed the students that the media were forbidden to enter the school, but any students who wished to meet them and offer their feelings on the Championship were welcome to do so on their own time once classes had let out for the day.

First up that morning was Transfiguration. Professor McGonagall seemed worried as she strode to the front of the class. 'While the Ministry has provided every assurance that there is no way for their wands to injure any of you,' she said, 'the school itself cannot be taken lightly. There are many intricacies to the school that must be given your respect—from moving staircases, to trick stairs, to hidden pathways. You will need to be careful about where you decide to engage in battle and where you decide to take cover.'

'Has anyone ever been injured like that before?' Lily asked from her desk, where she sat with Alice.

'Fortunately not,' McGonagall replied, and Peter noticeably relaxed from where he was sitting next to Remus. 'But there are first times for everything, Ms. Evans. All it takes is a careless moment and then you could be toppling down a staircase. I would prefer not to see Madam Pomfrey be too busy after this event,' she added.

'Have you ever taken part in one, Professor?' Frank asked. Everyone looked up at her curiously—somehow in all of their preparations, no one had thought to ask this.

McGonagall leaned against her desk with a small smile. 'Myself personally, I have not,' she said. 'I did, however, follow it avidly one year when one of my cousins abroad was in the tournament at Durmstrang, one of the other magical schools in Europe. They still hold the tournament once every seven years.'

'Any last pieces of advice?' James asked hopefully.

McGonagall smiled. 'You know we're not supposed to offer any,' she said. 'But as a piece of general advice—stay alert.'

The next class was Potions. Where McGonagall had seemed worried, Professor Slughorn was positively delighted with all the attention descending on Hogwarts, and was fawning over certain students who he clearly deemed to be 'the favorites' in the competition. James pursed his lips when he noticed that Snape—who was sitting next to Lily now—was one of those students. 'This sort of event can certainly make someone's reputation,' Slughorn was saying jovially. 'Of course, some of you have already developed reputations outside of this school for your dueling prowess,' he added, allowing his eyes to linger on James.

'Could he paint a bigger bull's eye on you?' Sirius hissed.

Slughorn's eyes twinkled. 'I was fortunate enough to be in this tournament myself, back when I was a lad,' he said airily to the surprise of everyone. 'Yes, believe it or not, I was quite the dueler. Fortunate enough to be in the same year as Professor Flitwick, if you can believe that. Gave him quite the run for his money!'

James rolled his eyes once Slughorn's back was turned. 'Why do I get the feeling that's not completely true?' he whispered to Sirius.

'Remember all of Flitwick's dueling trophies? He probably eliminated Slughorn before he even lifted his arm,' Sirius chuckled.

Lily raised her hand and Slughorn nodded indulgently to her. 'A question, Ms. Evans?' she asked.

'Professor,' Lily said in that same sweet, innocent school-girl voice James had heard her employ on Dumbledore earlier in the year. He tried not to laugh. 'I know you're not supposed to give advice or what have you—but—seeing as we're all friends here…' she trailed off.

Sirius' jaw dropped. 'That little minx,' he hissed.

Slughorn beamed. 'Well. Well, seeing as we are indeed all friends, I suppose there's no harm in revealing a secret or two,' he chortled as everyone leaned in interestedly. 'I actually utilized the moving staircases to some success in my year,' he began fondly when the bell sounded to end class. 'Drat! Oh well, a dramatic cliff hanger to give you an idea. Good luck to all of you!' he called as they began packing up their gear.

'Nice try,' James remarked to Lily as they passed each other on their way out the door.

Snape was standing behind her and his eyes narrowed. 'I'm surprised you haven't rushed off to talk to the press yet, Untouchable Potter,' he said earning a reproachful look from Lily.

'I'm surprised you haven't taken off to start flinging mud about me to them either,' James said, his eyes flashing. 'Which, by the way, I still owe you for.'

'Come on,' Lily said, standing between them. 'Can you two not fight about this now?'

Snape was glaring at James with loathing, but James simply smirked. 'She's right,' he said. 'I'll catch up to you in the tournament.'

'Indeed. We'll find out who's Untouchable then,' Snape taunted as he and Lily strolled off, leaving James to watch them. Remus stepped up behind him and placed a hand on his back.

'You alright?' Remus asked.

James sighed. 'Always,' he said.

'We'll get him,' Sirius declared as they left the classroom. 'He won't be quite so high and mighty when we eliminate him on the first day of the competition.'

Sirius kept up a steady stream of anti-Snape sentiment as they made their way to Charms, where Professor Flitwick was waiting cheerfully. 'Professor Slughorn was telling us interesting stories about the Combat Championship you were both involved in, Professor,' Marlene McKinnon said as they all sat down.

Flitwick raised his eyebrows. 'Indeed?' he asked.

'He said he gave you a run for your money,' Mary McDonald chimed in.

Flitwick looked uncomfortable. 'Well—yes, I suppose from a certain point of view…'

'More to the story?' Frank probed hopefully.

Flitwick chuckled nervously. 'Professor Slughorn remembers things in a—ah, favorable light,' he said after a moment.

'So you eliminated him quickly then?' Sirius quipped.

'I don't want to puncture what I'm sure was an elegant tale,' Flitwick said modestly. 'We did cross paths during the tournament, that much was true.'

'How long into the tournament?' Marlene asked.

Flitwick looked slightly pink. 'That's really neither here nor there—really—he was quite a skilled student, dueling was just never his forte…'

The class began begging Flitwick for the details, pressing and pushing. Flitwick tried to dodge their questions at very turn until he finally relented. 'Oh very well,' he muttered. 'You do know you can find all of this in the library, don't you?' he said. 'I'm actually surprised some of you haven't dug this story up.'

James glanced at Remus who raised his hands defensively. 'There's tons of books on the subject, you expect me to read every page of every one?' he said in an amused tone.

'Professor Slughorn and I crossed paths on…well, the first day,' Flitwick muttered to a roar of laughter from the students. 'And if by 'giving me a run for my money', he means 'forced me to run after him because he was fleeing', then yes, I suppose he did,' he mused to yet more laughter. 'And if he asks where you heard this, it was not from me!' he added forcefully.

'Our lips are sealed,' chuckled Frank.

'Who do you think is going to win, Professor?' Mary asked.

Flitwick looked suddenly thoughtful. 'You never quite can tell. People can surprise you in this tournament. Of course we all know who the most outgoing students are, and there are certainly some clever and talented pupils in this very room. But sometimes the quiet ones can surprise you,' he added. James' mind suddenly went to Emmeline, and he silently cursed himself for not having tried harder to incorporate her into his alliance. Lily appeared to have gotten to her first.

'So no bets?' Alice declared.

'Well—some of the teachers have a friendly wager going. No gambling, mind you,' Flitwick said modestly.

'And who is the smart money on?' Alice pressed.

Flitwick raised his hands. 'Enough! Let's focus on a little bit of duel practicing now, shall we?' he said.

The last class of the day was Defense Against the Dark Arts. James was completely unsurprised to see that Professor Fletcher had cleared the room and was asking the students to perform the most impressive bits of magic that they knew. Fletcher had all but confirmed to them earlier in the year that he planned to bet money on this event. It was of little surprise to anyone that Frank dazzled in this class, showing off his Patronus Charm to the appreciative 'oohs' and 'aahs' of everyone gathered.

'A corporeal patronus at our age is so rare,' Edgar Bones said as he applauded. Then he seemed to realize what he was up against. 'Damn,' he muttered. 'Feel like forming an alliance, Frank?' he asked hopefully.

Frank chuckled. 'It's a big school, Edgar. We may not even come across one another.'

James watched as everyone performed their spells. With the exception of Frank, James got the distinct impression that everyone was holding something back. Lily performed a rather lame Reductor curse, where James knew that she possessed an excellent hex in her arsenal. The previous year when they had been ambushed by Mulciber, Avery and Regulus Black, she had performed a spelt hat sent hovering orbs of scalding hot water hurtling at her opponents.

Edgar Bones performed an impressive piece of magic that struck the ground like a hammer, cracking and splintering the cobbled stone underneath them. James flitted back and forth in his mind between displaying something impressive and doing something mundane, and ended up deciding on the latter. He performed a simple disarming charm.

'Oh come on, Potter,' Fletcher said irritably.

James shrugged. 'What? It's served me well in the past,' he replied innocently, winking at Lily who grinned back at him.

Fletcher seemed to catch on that many of the students were not showcasing their full potential. As class ended, everyone began to disburse. 'So where to, everyone?' Peter asked excitedly.

'What do you mean? Aren't we going back to the dormitories?' James asked.

'Don't you want to go outside and see all the media people?' Peter asked in surprise.

James chuckled. 'I think I've had my fill of them for the time being,' he said. 'They had enough fodder to chew on about me over the summer; I don't need to be in their spotlight anymore.'

Remus nodded sagely. 'Good idea,' he said. 'We should probably all get some rest—not to mention a good supper. The next little while is going to be pretty intense,' he observed.

Sirius caught Marlene's eye. 'I think I'm going to spend some time with Marlene. Er, catching up before the competition,' he added with a wink as he strolled over and linked arms with her. 'Don't wait up!' he called playfully, earning a smack from Marlene.

'Well, that leaves the three of us,' Remus mused.

It ended up that the Gryffindor Common Room was turned into something of a party. Gideon and Fabian Prewett had declared a night of peace before everyone 'begins trying to snuff each other,' and everyone was in a jovial mood. Sirius and Marlene were tucked into a corner near the fire, wrapped in one another's arms. Peter and Mary were playing a game of Wizarding chess and chatting animatedly—James was thankful that for once Mary was not overindulging and pursuing him. Frank and Alice had begun dancing in the center of the room, and Emmeline was listening intently as Remus was discussing some tactics for the coming days.

'Not a bad party,' Lily's voice came in his here and James turned to see her leaning on the wall next to him with an easy smile. 'Didn't feel like going outside to see the press?' she asked.

James chuckled. 'I'd rather stay mysterious. Part of the image I'm going for,' he quipped. 'Nice work with Slughorn today, by the way,' he said coyly.

Lily looked unabashed. 'It almost worked, didn't it?' she asked.

'You're more devious than I gave you credit for,' James replied.

'And don't you forget that,' Lily declared. 'It's going to be weird…this time tomorrow, we're all going to be fighting with one another,' she said somewhat distantly.

'Nervous?' James asked.

'Of course,' Lily muttered. 'Aren't you? Wait, don't answer that—James Potter doesn't get nervous,' she said sarcastically.

James chuckled. 'Nervous isn't the right word, but it feels like this has gotten here a little too fast,' he said. 'It's like, am I really ready? Are any of us? The Prewetts might be…' he trailed off.

'Not if they keep drinking fire whiskey like that,' Lily observed. 'They'll be horizontal when they get into the school.' They looked at the Prewetts who had joined in the dance next to Frank and Alice, spinning each other around at breakneck speed.

'So what's Snape's plan?' James asked.

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'Why?'

'I'm just curious how his plan relates to yours,' James said neutrally.

Lily shrugged. 'I think he's planning to go it alone,' she said. 'We'll try and meet up if we can.'

James considered this for a moment. 'You haven't heard that Slytherin House is planning on allying against the rest of the school?' he asked.

'Where did you hear that?' Lily asked in surprise.

'I have my sources,' James replied.

Lily looked concerned. 'He would have told me that…it must be wrong,' she said.

'If you say so,' James replied. 'Feeling confident about your choice of allies?'

Lily grinned now at the change of subject. 'Very,' she said. 'The real challenge is going to be some of the older students, but I think we'll do well. You'd better hope we don't come across you.'

James clapped a hand over his heart. 'You mean you'd eliminate me?' he asked. 'Evans, I'm hurt,' he added with a wink.

'Only one person can win,' Lily said, although an odd look had crossed over her face. 'Potter, this isn't going to change anything. If I—if one of us eliminates the other, we're still…' she trailed off.

'Non-friends?' James supplied and she laughed.

'I've just grown…accustomed to your toe-ragginess,' she said.

James burst out laughing. 'I'll remember that,' he said airily. 'When I'm hexing you right out of the game.' He was thoughtful for a moment. 'What if it came down to you and Snape?' he asked.

Lily snorted. 'He'd make me hex him,' she said.

'You think so?' James asked.

'I think I've got a slightly better handle on Sev then you do,' she replied.

James smirked. 'Can you ever truly know someone until you've been hexed by them?' he chided.

'Well, you should get to know me plenty well by the time this is over, then,' Lily shot back. 'I'm going to try and get some sleep now. Good night, Potter.'

James nodded. 'See you in the championship,' he replied.

'Not if I see you first,' Lily called back over her shoulder. James watched her ascend the staircase into the girls' dormitory, her mane of red hair bouncing behind her as she disappeared from sight. James sighed as he stood there, reflecting on the journey they had taken over the last four years to arrive at this point. He couldn't seem to shake the feeling that this game might change the foundation of their relationship, whatever that was.


	30. Trumpets and Portkeys

30

A loud trumpet call from somewhere outside the castle awoke them. James' eyes snapped open, staring up at the top of his four poster. He could not remember when he had fallen asleep, but he had not dreamed at all—a merciful change from his usual cadre of nightmares involving Rochefort, Voldemort or Inferi. He sat up, noticing Remus, Peter and Sirius doing the same. At the end of their beds, they noticed neat school uniforms had been hung sometime overnight, most likely by the house elves.

'We're supposed to wear these, I guess,' Remus muttered.

James fished into his school bag and hauled out the map. 'Sirius,' he called, holding the map out. Sirius was sliding into his uniform—they were all quite form fitting with no pockets. 'Tuck it inside your uniform, perhaps?' James said.

'Sorry, boys,' Sirius said with a chuckle as he tucked it into the waistband of his underwear. Peter wrinkled his nose.

'Why aren't there any pockets?' Peter asked.

Remus zipped up the front of his uniform to see a number—397. 'If I had to guess, it's to make sure we don't smuggle any weapons into the school,' he said. 'I'd also guess these numbers show where we are in the order to enter the school.'

They all zipped up their uniforms. Sirius, of course, had the lowest number at 47. Peter and James were quite close together, Peter being number 504 and James being number 513.

'You're going to come find us using the map, right?' Peter asked nervously.

Sirius nodded. 'I'll find Moony first. I'll just have to amuse myself for seven hours until you arrive,' he chuckled.

The trumpet sounded again. 'We'd better get a move on,' James said. They all filed out of the dormitory and down through the common room. Everyone else was filing out as well, wearing these identical uniforms with their numbers emblazoned upon them. Alice and Frank were holding hands a few steps ahead of them, and Marlene came over to stand next to Sirius who put his arm around her.

'Don't get yourself eliminated before I get to you,' she muttered.

Sirius chuckled. 'I wouldn't want to deprive you of that joy,' he said.

They all made their way down to the great hall where everyone was being admitted out in single file. Ministry officials were there to take the wands of every student, furbishing them with the Championship Wands which would only mark the victims of their spells rather than actually do damage. It felt like an agonizing wait until James was finally there. 'Name?' asked the gruff witch standing there.

'James Potter,' he said evenly.

The witch looked up at him in surprise. 'Nice to meet you,' she said. 'Wand?'

James handed his wand over, feeling suddenly naked without it. The witch performed a few tests with it to ensure it was in fact a working, fully functioning wand and that he wasn't trying to hand over a fake. Satisfied, she then handed him one of the Championship wands. He saw it too was emblazoned with his number 515. 'Step on out into the courtyard, you'll receive directions there,' the witch said.

James stepped into the courtyard to find there were indeed Ministry officials all over the place directing traffic. Remus and Peter arrived next to James after a moment, but Sirius and Marlene were standing off to the side. 'Where do we go now?' Peter muttered.

'Let's ask,' James said, coming up behind a Ministry official. 'Excuse me, ma'am,' he said.

The woman turned and James' jaw nearly hit the ground—it was Dorcas Meadowes. 'Alright, James?' she said with a grin.

'Captain!' James said as they embraced. 'When did you get here?'

'Last night,' Dorcas chuckled. 'Apparently, I'm a celebrity graduate now. First the Prophet wanted to interview me about who I thought would win, then Madam Bones got in touch with me to see if I'd like to volunteer for the event. I had a few weeks in between my last game and my next one, so here I am, set to vicariously live through you lot for the next few weeks!'

'Alright, Captain?' came the cheerful voice of Gideon Prewett as he and Fabian arrived on the scene.

'Splendid. You two ready to unleash mayhem upon the school?' Dorcas chided.

Fabian chuckled. 'We wouldn't have it any other way,' he said. James noticed the numbers 535 and 536 on their chests. 'How about you, James? You ready for this?'

'So long as I stay out of your way, I think I am,' James joked.

Gideon winked. 'Tell you what, we'll leave you alone until we're done with the Slytherins,' he said conspiratorially. On that note, a third trumpet blared. 'Oi, they going to keep doing that all day?' he muttered irritably.

Dorcas chuckled. 'On the fifth blast, everyone's expected to be out here for the opening remarks. Minister Bagnold and Dumbledore say a few words and then they start getting everyone into the school.'

'Are we allowed to stand with people until they go in?' James asked as Sirius made his way over.

Dorcas nodded. 'Yep. They just have to get to their portkey in time. Excuse me, I'd better go wrangle up this group of first years…oi, you lot! Midgets!' she called and she jogged off to round them up leaving the rest of them laughing in her wake.

'Marlene give you something to remember her by?' Remus asked with a chuckle. Sirius had lipstick smeared all over his face.

'You're just jealous,' Sirius declared. 'So where do we go?'

'Over towards the podium, I guess,' James said pointing. Students, Ministry officials and media alike were gathering around the podium as the fourth trumpet blast sounded. 'How are you all doing?'

Sirius nodded mutely. Remus gave a thumbs up, and Peter looked slightly green. 'Just remember—stay frosty, Marauders,' James said bracingly as the fifth and final trumpet blast sounded. They all looked up at the podium where Millicent Bagnold now stood in front of the crowd, her wand pointed to her throat to amplify her voice.

'Welcome everyone to the Hogwarts Combat Championship,' she said clearly. 'We at the Ministry would like to extend our sincere thanks to Professor Dumbledore and the Hogwarts' Staff for all of their hard work in putting on this event. In times such as the ones we are currently facing, it is important to remember that there is still life to be lived and fun to be had. While the nature of this Championship is to compete, I do sincerely hope that you will all have fun,' she declared to polite applause. 'And now for a few words, Professor Dumbledore.'

There was thunderous applause, particularly from the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students as Dumbledore took center stage. 'Thank you all,' he said with a twinkle in his gaze. 'As promised, there is a prize of considerable value for the victor of this Championship. But as with the event itself, where you will face difficult choices amongst allies and friends, there will be a choice with respect to the prize.' Everyone listened intently, hanging on Dumbledore's every word. 'There are two choices for the victor. The first choice is for a prize of ten thousand galleons.'

There were gasps, cheers and applause from the crowd. 'Holy, that's a lot of money,' Sirius said, wide-eyed.

'The other option…is a mystery,' Dumbledore said, causing more murmuring from the crowd. James craned his neck and caught Dorcas' eye. She winked and went back to looking at Dumbledore.

Sirius bit his lip. 'Well, that's bound to cause a bit of a set-to…' he muttered.

'Ten thousand galleons,' Remus muttered. 'That's going to cause a near riot. If this was going to be intense before, it's sure to get absolutely mad here now,' he said.

'Good luck to you all, and may the games…begin!' Dumbledore said, and a loud bang sounded sending fireworks into the air. He relinquished center stage as Dolores Umbridge stepped up with her wand held in place to her throat. 'Alberts, Christopher!' she called, and it was on. One student per minute, they began entering people in the school. A nervous buzz filled the air as everyone backed away from the stage, permitting those whose names were near the start of the alphabet to get close.

'Good luck, Sirius,' came a stiff voice from next to them after a few minutes and they turned to see Regulus standing there.

Sirius' eyes blazed. 'Don't talk to me,' he said.

Regulus rolled his eyes. 'You're not still upset about that little incident before Christmas, are you?' he asked.

'Little incident?' Sirius whispered furiously. 'You ought to stop talking, Reggie, every time you open your mouth the IQ of everyone around you drops.'

Regulus sighed. 'Leave it to you to completely miss that this is all for the greater good,' he muttered.

James cleared his throat. 'You know what would be for the greater good?' he said a little more loudly. 'For you to shut up.'

'You going to make me, Potter?' Regulus asked.

'Oh, you'd love that, wouldn't you?' Sirius sneered. 'Get us in trouble, get ourselves kicked out before we can even enter to face off against you. Keep hoping, little brother. And keep your head on a swivel while you're at it.'

'Everything alright here?' came a booming voice from behind them as Madam Bones stepped in between them. Regulus backed away at the sight of her, skulking off to talk with a group of Slytherins.

'Fine,' Sirius muttered.

Bones looked him sympathetically. 'You'll get your chance at him,' she remarked with a backwards glance. 'Inside the castle, though. Not here. Understood?'

'Yes,' the four of them said automatically.

The minutes passed by and Regulus was admitted. He cast one bitter glance back at Sirius before the portkey whipped him out of sight. 'Black, Sirius,' Dolores Umbridge called, saying the name in a cool tone of voice.

'Alright, here goes,' Sirius said nervously, shaking out his hands as he stepped forward.

James clapped him on the back. 'See you in a few hours, mate,' he said.

'Good luck,' Peter said nervously, looking greener than ever.

'You'll do fine,' Remus added reassuringly.

Sirius stepped up into the ring. Umbridge slowly offered her hand to shake it as she had with each of the other contestants, but Sirius took no notice of it, instead focusing his attention on the portkey as the seconds ticked by. He glanced up at James and nodded nervously. James offered him a thumbs up, and then Sirius spun out of sight, disappearing into thin air as he was transported into the school.

They watched nervously as more students entered the school. James was struck, as they all stood there, how many students in how many years he did not know. But slowly, they began whittling their way through their circle of friends and classmates—Edgar Bones went, offering a wave to Madam Bones as he was whipped away by the Portkey. Alice Dearborn kissed Frank Longbottom lightly and stepped up to be whisked away. Lily Evans stood, giving a shaky thumbs up to Snape who was standing near the end of the crowd, and then a small salute to James who gave a goofy grin back to her causing her to smile.

The hours passed by, Ministry officials were bustling around offering water to the contestants waiting to enter the castle. James gratefully took a glass and gulped it down in almost one, unaware of how thirsty he had been until that very moment. Peter was still looking ill as they made their way into the 'L's' several hours later. Frank stepped up, offered a small smile to his friends as they watched and disappeared.

'Good luck, Moony,' Peter said as Remus' turn arrived. He clasped Peter's shoulder and nodded at James as he stepped forward.

'We'll see you shortly,' James said and Remus chuckled. 'Stay alert.'

'You too,' Remus said as he was yanked out of sight.

The wait carried on. Marlene McKinnon and Mary McDonald went, Mary embracing Peter before she did so. Finally, it was Peter's turn.

'I think I'm going to be sick,' he muttered.

'It's alright,' James said, stepping up with him and offering him a supporting arm. There were a few chuckles from the audience, but also some looks of concern. 'If you need to be sick, just find a corner and doing it. You'll feel better after,' James said.

'Would you think less of me?' Peter mumbled.

'Course not,' James said bracingly. 'Just so long as you're alive when I get in there,' he said with a wink.

Peter nodded and grabbed the portkey, waiting nervously, as James stepped back. After a moment, he was gone. Nine students and nine minutes later, it was finally James' turn and he stepped up to his portkey, a small boot.

'Good luck, Potter,' Umbridge said slowly.

James glanced at her and grinned, delighting in the fact that it seemed to irritate her. 'I've never had it,' he said quietly. He mentally ticked off the seconds in his head until the portkey was about to take him away when he grinned even wider. 'See you soon…you miserable old bat,' he said and he felt the jerk from behind his naval. He registered the look of shock and anger on Umbridge's face before his world spun and he was transported into the school, landing with a crash in what seemed to be a classroom. He landed heavily on his right side, bouncing off the floor and skidding into a wall rather painfully.

Only a few moments passed before a voice met his ears. 'It's Potter! GET HIM!'


	31. Entrances and Intensity

31

James did not hesitate. The moment he heard voices, he waved his wand desperately, casting a shield charm over himself. It was not a moment too soon, as he heard the bubbly thudding sound of two spells repelling back off his shield charm and he leapt to his feet in time to see two older students dive to opposing sides of the classroom as his spells soared through the open door out into the hallway beyond, colliding with the far wall. James side stepped across the room as the student to his right, a tall, dark haired boy leapt up with his wand. 'Expelliarmus!' James called as he shuffled to the side. The dark haired boy tried to slide to the side, but James' spell grazed him just enough and his chest was suddenly coloured a bright pink and his wand evaporated in his hand.

The dark haired boy began to swear, but James had already dove, taking cover behind a teacher's desk as the other student had vaulted back to their feet and sent a succession of non-verbal spells James' way. They hammered into the desk at varying points. James flattened himself to the ground and peered underneath the desk, using the one-inch gap between the desk and the floor to spot the student's feet. He wormed his wand underneath it and non-verbally shot a stunning spell which exploded onto the other student's foot.

'What the—? No!' cried the student and James slowly crept up to peek over top of the desk. The two students were standing there looking at one another, looking stunned. James recognized one vaguely as a Ravenclaw in his fifth year. The second student, a sandy haired and shorter boy who James had struck in the foot, sighed as he looked at James. 'Nice moves, Potter,' he said begrudgingly.

The dark haired boy shook his head. 'I thought we had you. Woops—!' he cut himself off as he suddenly apparated, and James knew he had gone to the safe zone.

'Is there anyone else nearby?' James asked the sandy haired boy. The boy chuckled as he looked at him.

'I'm not saying a thing,' he declared. 'I think you just demonstrated that you don't need _my_ help,' he went on. 'Seriously, though—good luck.' And with another loud crack, he was gone as well.

James stood there silently for a moment, the adrenaline rush of only a moment ago subsiding. His side was somewhat tender from where he had crashed onto the floor, but altogether, he thought he had handled his first challenge rather well. _Two down, a thousand odd students to go, _he thought to himself. He briefly contemplated staying put—with any luck, Sirius, Remus and Peter would be together by now and would be using the map to look for him. But it also occurred to James that the two students he had barged in on might be part of a larger group.

He moved to the doorway and peered out into the hall. The class room was a little used room on the base level, not too far from the Hufflepuff dormitories and the kitchens. James peeked down either side of the hallways and saw no sign of anyone nearby. He took one step into the doorway when another shape spun into view in front of him. James jumped backwards as a frightened Hufflepuff first year made eye contact with him.

'Sorry,' James said and he cast a quick spell, striking the Hufflepuff student in the torso.

'Aw, no,' the Hufflepuff mumbled. 'Now I have to do homework again…' he grumbled.

'Sorry, again,' James quipped and he took off at a soft jog down the corridor. He tried not to feel too pleased with himself—three students down in almost as many minutes had to be considered a strong start, but if he couldn't find the others, it wouldn't matter too much.

He rounded the corner of the hallway and stopped short. There ahead was a group of five Slytherins of ranging ages. They looked up and made eye contact with him—both sides stood frozen for a moment before one of the older Slytherins pointed. 'Potter!' he shouted.

'Stupefy!' James yelled, casting the spell and then bolting back around the corner and running back the way he came. He didn't pause to hear if his spell had hit home, all he knew was he could hear the sounds of the Slytherins giving chase. He hurtled back past the Hufflepuff first year just as he apparated with a loud crack. He ran past the classroom he had first arrived in and descended a staircase towards the Hufflepuff dormitory before he realized his mistake.

_Dead end, _he thought to himself. _Not good._

He looked around desperately and spotted a suit of armour on the wall. 'Piertotum locomotor?' he said hopefully, pointing his wand at it, but the statue stayed resolutely still. He swore silently and hauled himself behind the statue.

The first Slytherin to round the corner was a third year boy who was built like a bean stalk. Easily over six feet tall, he couldn't have weighed much more than a hundred pounds. James' stunning spell caught him in the face, causing his wand to evaporate. 'He's behind the suit of armour!' he shouted, pointing as if the others could see him from around the corner. 'There, right there! Rush him!'

James silently cursed whoever had thought of the thirty-second apparition rule. He hopped out from behind the suit of armour just as three more of the Slytherins rounded. They cast a barrage of spells at him, but James moved with reflexes born of his Quidditch training. He lunged to a far wall and cast a Shield charm, repelling two spells back—one of which struck the smallest of the Slytherins—and then he launched himself backwards off of the wall with his foot, casting three stunning spells in quick succession, two of which struck a second student. The third one pressed forward, but James' next shield charm almost knocked him backwards off balance. James pressed forward and cast another disarming spell, but this time the Slytherin—a fifth year—cast a shield charm of his own, and James narrowly ducked in time to avoid his own spell. He ran forward once more and kicked himself off the wall again, leaping through the air and overtop of a redactor curse as he fired back a stunning spell of his own, catching the Slytherin in the neck.

'Bloody hell,' the youngest of the group breathed as the first one—the bean stalk—apparated.

'He's…well, he's just standing there,' the oldest said, glaring at James. He had been the last one to be caught. 'You must think you're really something, don't you?' he snapped.

James grinned. 'Well given what just happened…yeah, I'd have to say I do,' he chuckled. 'Give my regards to the air outside.'

In quick succession, the other three Slytherins cracked into the air, and James knew he was alone with whoever waited behind the corner. 'So how's this going to go?' James called, twirling his wand in his hand nervously. 'You just going to stand there all day?'

A low chuckle came from the other side of the wall. 'I'm in no hurry,' came the voice. 'I could just wait for reinforcements to arrive. You're on your own, aren't you?'

'So that is your strategy then?' James asked. 'Slytherin against the world?'

The voice laughed. 'Sorry, I'm not going to discuss any of our plans with you. All you need to know is we have a list, and you're at the top of it,' he said dryly. James was slowly inching towards the corner as Slytherin kept talking. 'You've managed to irritate a lot of people, Potter. We don't really care who wins…so long as you don't,' he added with a laugh.

James spun around the corner in a crouch. It ended up being a savvy move as a spell soared over his head, but James' spell catapulted into the torso of the Slytherin who looked down at himself in shock. He was now coloured a bright, baby blue, and his wand had evaporated in his hand. James straightened to his full height. 'You really think I'm stupid, don't you?' James quipped.

Just then, the unmistakable spinning sound of someone arriving by portkey sounded behind James. He glanced back and then forward at the Slytherin who was grinning. 'You were saying?' he taunted.

James cast a spell into the spinning form, but it quickly rebounded back at him. He hurled himself aside, the force of the spell coming so close that he could feel its wind brush past his face. A Ravenclaw seventh year spun into view, her eyes narrowing, and James took off at a run. He dodged around the Slytherin who tried to slow him up and apparated only a moment later, and he ran as fast as he could.

'Reducto!' he heard the Ravenclaw yell, and he dove, the spell soaring over top of his head. He tucked into a somersault and was back on his feet again in a moment, hurling a shield charm over his shoulder. One moment later, he blindly cast a stunning spell back as he hurtled down the hallway, passing the classroom where he had first come into the school once more. He had a stitch forming in his side from all the running he had done—his mind fleetingly formed an image of a hamster running in a wheel—and he passed the spot where he had met the five Slytherins.

He could hear the footfalls of the Ravenclaw girl behind him but he didn't dare look back. He was panting heavily as he passed a staircase and froze for a moment; up ahead was the main entrance hall, but he would be entering at ground level. He would be easy pickings if anyone were hiding on the staircases or the levels above. He glanced back once more just as Ravenclaw came vaulting around the corner and he leapt up onto the staircase, his legs burning as he began taking them two at a time.

He spun around and cast a disarming spell down the staircase as Ravenclaw came up after him. She easily batted it aside and cast a stunning spell back. James flattened himself to the wall and it whistled by. He frantically pointed his wand at the stairs as he grabbed the railing. 'Glisseo!' he hissed, but nothing happened.

Ravenclaw stopped in surprise. 'Looks like we can't modify our surroundings…that's useful to know. Thanks, Potter,' she said.

James panted as he looked down at her. 'Moment to catch my breath?' he asked.

Ravenclaw chuckled. 'I don't think I should do you any favours,' she said with a sly grin.

'If it's any consolation, if you leave now I won't hex you in the back,' James said hopefully.

Ravenclaw laughed heartily now. 'You've got guts, Potter, I'll give you that.' And with that she slashed her wand again. James pushed himself to the other wall, allowing the spell to sail past. He cast a shield charm quickly and began running up the stairs again, Ravenclaw in hot pursuit. He was passing a shield on the wall when a brainwave hit him. He stopped, ripping it off the wall and sliding it down the staircase at her. She tried to dodge it, but her foot landed right on it, causing her to slip and tumble down a few stairs before she caught herself.

Her momentary distraction was all James needed—his stunning spell caught her in the top of the head, colouring it a dark red as her wand evaporated. 'Holy,' she said in amazement as she slowly gained her feet. 'That…was some really quick thinking,' she said appreciatively.

'Thanks,' James panted, sinking to one knee.

'Well, this is disappointing,' Ravenclaw said with a slight pout. 'I was hoping to last more than a few minutes,' she said with a half-smile.

James laughed in between gasps for breath. 'Right now, I'm just hoping nobody materializes in front of me,' he wheezed.

'Well…good luck,' Ravenclaw sighed and she disappeared with a loud crack. Now, James couldn't help but feel impressed with himself. He had just bested a seventh year student from a house renowned for its intelligent pupils. He stayed there crouched on one knee for few minutes as he finally gained his breath. He could feel sweat forming on his brow and he wiped the forearm of his uniform across it.

'Come on, James,' he whispered to himself. 'Where to…' he hauled himself to his feet and began slowly ascending the stairs, taking his time in doing so. He resolved to himself right then that if he was faced with a period where he seemed to be alone, he would be conserving his energy. He arrived at the top of the staircase and nearly collided with someone. He stumbled backwards, his wand automatically flicking upwards when he realized it was not just a someone, but multiple people.

'Oh bloody hell,' James hissed, quickly casting a shield charm and breaking into a sprint in the opposite direction as three Slytherin seventh years gave chase. He pumped his arms and did his best to keep his breathing even as he rounded a corner. Things went from bad to worse as he saw two sixth year Hufflepuffs there.

'Potter!' one of them cried. James hit the deck as two stunning spells soared over his head. By a stroke of luck, one of them struck one of the three Slytherins as he rounded the corner, causing him to cry out in surprise. James rolled along the ground, hurling a disarming spell towards the remaining two. One of them blocked it, but with her focus on James, she was unprepared for the redactor curse that one of the Hufflepuffs struck her in the neck with. The remaining Slytherin turned his attention to the two Hufflepuffs and the three began to duel fiercely, allowing James to crawl to his feet and run away.

'You're letting Potter escape!' the Slytherin yelled furiously.

'Too bad!' one of the Hufflepuffs yelled back. James put his head down and ran back in the direction the three Slytherins had come from. He rounded another corner and slowed down to a brisk walk, evening his breathing. _This is insane, _he thought to himself. _At this rate I'll pass out from exhaustion in an hour…_

He had already lost track of how long he had been in the castle, but it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. He walked gingerly as he came to the clearing of the great hall—he peered out from around the corner and immediately backed up. There were four students at various positions on his level, peering down onto the first level, waiting to pick off students brave—or foolish—enough to try crossing it. James briefly considered trying to take the four snipers down, but decided against it. He needed to conserve his energy.

He backtracked and found another staircase leading to where he knew Professor Fletcher's classroom was. He slowly ascended it, again taking slow and methodical steps as he did so. He arrived at the door to the classroom and glanced around to ensure he was alone. He placed his ear against the door and listened—the faint murmurings of voices on the other side of the door met his ears.

'…right, let's head out,' one of them was saying.

James cursed silently and hurried up the staircase as the door opened. He bolted behind a suit of armour just as a stream of Hufflepuffs emerged. James peeked out at them, spotting Edgar Bones in their midst. 'Remember—there's just four of them out there, but there could be more hiding in the hallways,' he was saying as they descended the stairs. James knew he was referring to the snipers in the main hall, and he silently wished Edgar and the Hufflepuffs luck in taking them on.

He stayed where he was for a moment, waiting until the sounds of curses and hexes from the great hall entered his ears. He then began ascending the staircase, confident that no one would be coming up that way to see him any time soon. He arrived on the next floor and saw several hallways branched out. He knew if he continued in a round curve of the outside of the school, he would eventually draw near the Gryffindor dormitory. This lead him to mixed feelings, however—in spite of the fact that he would normally wish to go straight there, he could not count on many allies giving him the benefit of the doubt now.

He determined to go left. He rounded the corner and stopped dead—there, flanked by six Slytherins, stood Avery, whose face first showed surprise, and then unrepentant malice at the sight of him.

'Bloody hell,' James whispered as curses flew at him.


	32. Traps and Comrades

32

James hurled himself aside as the first curses rushed past him. He aimed a stunning spell at Avery, who bodily hauled a first-year student into its path as a human shield. The first year, a young girl, cried out in indignation, but she was quickly tossed aside as Avery pressed on. 'Get Potter!' he snarled. James cast a shield charm and backpedalled as quickly as he could, casting more spells at them. 'Scatter!' Avery snapped and the Slytherins split onto either side of the hallway. James still had several feet to go until the end, he would not make it in time—

But at that exact moment, a portkey spun into being behind the Slytherins. Only Avery heard the sound, and he cried out in fright as Gideon Prewett spun into view. 'Awesome,' Gideon cried as he began hurling hexes into the backs of the Slytherins.

They began turning to see who their new attacker was. Avery began furiously casting spells at Gideon who looked as though he were a spinning top, whirling and twirling around the hallway, deflecting hexes back in all manner of directions and forcing the Slytherins to duck, roll and hurl themselves aside lest they be hit. James was momentarily mesmerized as Gideon single-handedly beat back the hexes flying his way, and his defense was forcing Avery to backtrack towards James. James cast a stunning spell directly at Avery's exposed back, but he dodged aside to avoid a redactor curse that Gideon had sent his way. The redactor curse hit one of the other Slytherins, and Gideon nimbly dodged James' errant stunner. James cast one more disarming spell, catching one of the Slytherins in the back, and then he took off backwards down the corridor. He was more than confident that Gideon could handle Avery plus a couple of younger students on his own. He also did not really feel like finding out if Gideon and Fabian's offer of sparing him until they were done with Slytherins was genuine or not.

James took the hallway that would eventually lead him back to the Gryffindor dormitory. With the sounds of duelling fading into the distance, James slowed himself down to a walk once more, evening out his breathing. He glanced at the watch Sirius had given him the night before and mentally kicked himself for not having observed what time he had actually entered the building. If his estimation was right, he had now been inside for approximately twenty minutes. There would still be several hours' worth of students arriving into the school, but they were now passed the halfway point.

Twenty minutes should also have been enough time for Sirius, Remus and Peter to locate him on the map and start making their way to him. James frowned as he walked along. He had certainly carved a long path over the course of the school, albeit purely unintentionally. If the others were indeed trying to find him right now, maybe it would make some sense for him to find somewhere to hold up and hide.

_But what if they've already been eliminated? _He thought to himself. _What if I really am on my own?_ James kicked himself mentally again, loathing that he had not bothered to make any additional allies in the school. He had been so focussed on all of his plans involving the Marauders that he had not stopped to think even once about what would happen if he was unable to reconvene with them.

He stopped, looking around the hallway and sighing in frustration. Dwelling on it was not going to do himself any good at this stage, and sitting around likely was not a good strategy. Hallways were too open, and finding a classroom would effectively mean cornering himself if more of the Slytherins began to hunt for him.

At the thought of the Slytherins, he shook his head in exasperation. Clearly Frank had been right and they had decided to unite as a house. He remembered what the Slytherin down in the basement had said—that they did not care who won, so long as James didn't.

_Well, allow me to play the role of spoiler, _James thought to himself.

He peered around a corner which lead back towards Gryffindor tower. He could see three young girls walking along the hallway towards him—they couldn't have been older than second years in his estimation. The numbers weren't in his favour, but James felt relatively confident that he could take them on.

_Unless…_

He frowned, squinting down the hallway. The three girls were walking slowly, their wands held limply at their sides. They were even talking in a rather exceedingly loud volume of voice. James began casting his gaze around the edges of the hallway—there were suits of armour lining the walls. He squinted at one and then raised his wand. Non-verbally, he cast a stunning spell.

It hurtled silently down the corridor. The three girls noticed it first—one of them pointed, one of them gasped, one of them yelled. A large body leapt out from behind the suit of armour James had cast the spell at just as it collided, and suddenly, three far older students—Ravenclaws by the look of it—were now in the hallway, all looking in the direction James was standing in.

It had been a trap. If James had marched into it unawares, he would have been a sitting duck for what appeared to be two sixth years and a fifth year. He quickly backtracked and rounded the corner, going back the way he came. _Clever Ravenclaws, _he thought to himself as _wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure_ sang inside of his head. He did not run, but he walked briskly, looking behind him every few feet to see if they were rounding the corner after him. As long as he was able to walk away, it wouldn't be an issue—

The sound of a portkey spinning into being brought his attention snapping back to the present. A Hufflepuff fourth year, whose last name James was fairly certain was Quinn, spun into being in front of him. Quinn locked eyes with James and raised his arm in alarm, but James raised his wand and his other hand as well. 'Wait!' he hissed.

Quinn hesitated. 'What?' he said slowly.

'Right behind me,' James whispered. 'There's six Ravenclaws around that corner—they've laid a trap. If we start fighting, they'll come. You might eliminate me, but they'll get you,' he said.

Quinn rolled his wand in his fingers. 'And why should I believe you?' he said.

'Why would I lie?' James asked.

'Because this is a game,' Quinn said knowingly.

James sighed. 'Well, you can always cast the first stone and find out whether I'm lying or not…but it's your funeral,' he said and he waited.

Quinn hesitated and then shrugged. 'I think you're bluffing.' And with that, he cast a stunning spell right at James. James' shield charm was so swift that it knocked the Hufflepuff off balance, sending him backwards into the wall. James lunged forward with a quick succession of stunning spells, but Quinn was equal to the task, batting them aside with his wand. James tried to sprint around him, ensuring that he would be between him and the Ravenclaws should they be around the corner, but Quinn's eyes were suddenly as wide as saucer plates.

'Changed my mind, I believe you,' he said and he sprinted off down the hall. James glanced back in time to see six spells hurtling his way. He cast another shield charm quickly and they repelled back down the hallway towards the Ravenclaws as they charged, the three older students in the lead and the three younger ones bringing up the rear. James tore off down the hallway after Quinn, who was running like a bat out of hell.

'Expelliarmus!' James hissed and his spell soared out, catching Quinn in the back. The Hufflepuff stopped, looking at James in surprise, anger and dismay as he ran past him. 'Should have listened to me!' James shouted as he hurtled on, glancing back at the Ravenclaws but they had stopped, retreating slowly back to the hallway.

'You're a prat,' Quinn scolded. James snorted and flicked his wand again, marking Quinn once more with bright pink. Quinn looked positively indignant before he cracked out of being, leaving James on his own once again. He glanced down the hallway where the Ravenclaws had disappeared—it was pointless trying to get close to the Gryffindor dormitories with them laying their trap in the hallway. At least not without reinforcements.

He made his way back to the hallway where he had left Avery, Gideon and the Slytherins, but it was now empty. No signs of any battle remained. James silently hoped to himself that—even though Gideon was a far superior talent that would be infinitely more difficult to eliminate from the competition, Avery was a loathsome individual whom James would be happy to not see again until after the Championship had concluded.

He began moving through the hallway slowly. If he continued along this path, it would take him up to the hospital wing. He felt reasonably confident about his chances up there as he had spent more than a little too much time in that area. He continually glanced around himself as he went, trying to remain aware of any possible traps. He stopped to study any alcove in the wall and any suit of armour that adorned the hallway to ensure no one was hiding behind it and waiting for him. He continued making his way along until he reached the door of the hospital ward. He pressed his hear to the door and listened for voices. Satisfied that there were none, he creaked the door open and peered inside—all of the hospital beds had been cleared away, leaving the room quite empty. The door to Madam Pomfrey was shut, the lights in her office out.

James entered the hospital wing and quickly crossed over to a sink where he ran some water which he gulped down, soothing the dryness in his throat. He looked up at himself in the mirror—his hair was already matted with sweat from all the running he had done. He splashed some water on himself and dried his glasses on his robes before he stopped to think.

It had now been at least a half hour. He had deliberately walked slowly in a few places, and still there was no sign of Sirius, Remus and Peter. The possibilities of what could have happened to them quickly flitted through his mind.

_One or more of them have been eliminated, and the map along with them. _This would be the most damning blow. The three of them were James' only allies in the game, and the map was their best chance at catching some of the older and more experienced students unawares. Traps like the one the Ravenclaws had set near the dormitories would be a piece of cake if they had the map, but much more treacherous without it.

But what if they hadn't been eliminated? What if they, like James, had found themselves the target of roaming search parties? What if they were pinned down somewhere in the school, at the mercy of a beast like Avery, and they were unable to get to him?

James bit his lip and glanced back at the door to the hospital wing. If that were the case, he needed to begin combing the castle, room by room and inch by inch. He quickly rattled off the areas he had been to—the Hufflepuff dormitories, the second floor of the entrance hall, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, near the base of Gryffindor tower, and now the hospital wing. That was less than one quarter of the castle.

'Better start walking,' he muttered to himself as he walked back up to the hospital wing door, pressing his ear to it once more to ensure no one was walking down the corridor. He peeked out first and saw no one in either direction, so he began walking in the opposite direction from the one he had come from. Circling up past the edge of the hospital wing, he found himself nearing the base of the Astronomy tower—which ended up being a bad move.

As he rounded the corner to find the entrance to the staircase leading up, he saw Crabbe and Goyle at the same time that they saw him. James dove back around the corner as their hexes—which James did not recognize one bit—hurtled past and splattered on the stone wall behind him. He whipped back out, casting a stunning spell back in their direction that Goyle batted aside with ease, and then he ducked back behind the curve in the wall once more as hexes flew at him.

'Potter's here!' shouted Crabbe and James cursed silently, glancing back along the hallway in the direction he'd come. He decided to make a run for it and started running, just as someone began to portkey in right where he had been standing. He glanced back to see a Gryffindor second year spin into view and look at him in surprise.

'Run!' James shouted, but it was too late. Goyle came spinning around the corner, firing hexes off indiscriminately. James was far enough away to nimbly dodge them, but the poor Gryffindor second year was not so fortunate as five of the curses struck him, giving him the odd look of a human rainbow. James fired a disarming spell back over his shoulder and continued to run back past the hospital wing. A quick glance back showed that Goyle was still giving chase, and he was keeping up surprisingly well for such a massive physical specimen. He also had company in the form of a couple of Slytherin second years.

'You can't run forever, Potter!' he called.

James was about to shout back when some students rounded the corner ahead of him—Edgar Bones, who evidently had survived the storming of the entrance hall—rounded the corner with a couple of other Hufflepuffs. His eyes landed first on James, but then trailed to the Slytherins behind them.

'Break right!' Edgar shouted to James who instantly obeyed, not even thinking to cast a shield charm. The four Hufflepuffs set the hallway alight as they fired an impressive away of jinxes and charms at Goyle and his two wingmen. Much as Avery had, Goyle bodily hoisted one of the second years as a human shield, allowing several of the jinxes to strike him.

'OI! THAT'S NOT FAIR!' Edgar bellowed in a stunning approximation of his older sister's voice. Under other circumstances, James would have found this hilarious. But he took advantage of Edgar's momentary distraction and continued to run. He didn't think to hex Edgar and his friends—the way James saw it, they were now even as he had just passed up an opportunity to hex them unawares.

Just when he thought he was set to escape, however, Crabbe came vaulting around the corner up ahead. James skidded to a halt—how he had gotten there so quickly, James had no idea, but he had brought company. Whereas Goyle had drawn the short straw and gained second years as his backup, Crabbe came with two fifth years and a sixth.

'We've got company!' James shouted as he backed up towards Edgar and his two compatriots.

'Form a square!' Edgar shouted at once. He and one of the Hufflepuffs faced Crabbe and his remaining ally, while James and the other Hufflepuff faced Goyle and his.

'You take care of the offense, I'll keep the shield charms coming!' the Hufflepuff next to James, a girl in her third year, shouted bracingly.

James nodded. 'Don't let up!' he cried and he began firing off as many spells as he could manage in quick succession. Expelliarmus, Reducto, Stupefy, Impedimenta, Levicorpus, Incendio, Confringo…the spells were hurtling all over the hallway. The girl next to James was indeed quite skilled at defending—every time a spell got close to them, a shield charm popped up just in time to rebound it back.

'One down!' he heard Edgar shout from behind him. James had no idea if he meant he'd struck another Slytherin or if Edgar's wingman had been hit, but he didn't dare spare a glance behind him to look. He was still furiously jabbing his wand arm forward, trying his best to catch one of the Slytherins with a hex. But they were more than equal to the task, and the spells they were firing back were of a complexity that the Hufflepuff girl was beginning to have trouble matching.

Then, a new sound met James' ears. His mind briefly flitted to the sound of an object coming hurtling towards the earth at a great speed, whistling at screeching heights before impact. James realized it was a battle cry, and Sirius Black came thundering around the corner at the end of the hall behind Crabbe and his Death Eaters, firing curses from his wand as he did so. James and the Hufflepuff girl exchanged relieved grins and re-doubled their efforts. Sirius was not alone as Remus quickly joined him. The Slytherins now found themselves trapped in a pincer, but whereas Edgar had possessed the quick thinking to shout out a strategy, they fell to pieces. James' disarming charm caught the sixth year in the upper back, just as Sirius sent one straight into the face of a fifth year. Remus cast an impressive six spells in less than three seconds, bombarding the other fifth year to the point where he was covered in multicolour.

'You should know, Marauders always have each other's backs,' Sirius taunted as he fired another spell, catching Crabbe in the midsection and causing his wand to vaporize.

'They're retreating!' Edgar called triumphantly and James finally spared a glance backwards. Edgar had indeed referred to his wingman when he'd said another one was down, but he had apparently managed to hold off Goyle and the other second year, who were specks in the distance now as they disappeared down the hall.

'Friends of yours?' Sirius asked evenly as he pointed his wand at the Hufflepuff girl and Edgar, who raised their wands in return.

James glanced between them. 'I don't know…are we?' he asked.

Edgar smiled. 'I know I don't have a chance of coming between you lot,' he said with a laugh.

'So what now then?' Remus asked, glancing back and forth between James and Edgar but keeping his wand aloft.

James looked evenly at the two Hufflepuffs and smiled. 'Why don't you to go on,' he said. 'We'll call it even for now.'

Edgar grinned. 'Cheers,' he said. He and the girl took off at a soft jog back towards the entrance hall and disappeared a moment later. James grinned at Sirius and Remus who grinned back, and the three of them began to laugh.

After a moment, James looked serious. 'Well, only one thing needs to be said, now,' he said.

'What's that?' Sirius asked.

'What the hell took you so long? And where's Peter?'


	33. Mayhem and Siblings

33

They stepped into the first classroom that they could find. On a cursory glance, Remus and Sirius looked like James felt—Sirius' long hair was damp with sweat which poured down his face. Remus looked as pale and sickly as ever, but looked far more composed on the surface than Sirius did. 'Check the map,' Remus muttered as he glanced down either side of the hallway. 'We shouldn't stay still for long.'

'Why's that?' James asked.

Remus chuckled. 'It'd be a mistake,' he said. 'I tried holing up in a few places—first place was Flit wick's classroom. Three Gryffindor third years found me there, and let's just say there was no 'house unity' at that stage,' he muttered. 'Then I tried Filch's room. I had a Ravenclaw seventh year portkey in right in front of me.'

James snorted. 'No kidding? I had the same thing happen to me by the Hufflepuff dormitory.'

'We saw,' Sirius muttered as he unfolded the map. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' he muttered.

'So? Any answers for me?' James asked.

'Hang on,' Sirius said, and then he pointed. 'Alright, well there's one—Peter's still in the game, at least for now. He's holed up by the statue of the one-eyed witch. My guess is he tried to get down into the secret passageway but realized that you can't.'

James frowned. 'How did that happen?'

'Best guess?' Remus asked. 'The teachers probably cast imperturbable charms on everything to make sure that we weren't using our surroundings against each other. The wands are designed not to hurt anyone, but the things in the castle aren't,' he said in a low voice.

'So the one-eyed witch…that's not far from the dungeons. Why didn't you pick him up?' James asked.

Sirius chuckled. 'It's not as easy as all that, mate. Peter arrived in the game and basically found a spot to hide right away. It just so happened that he was pretty much on the opposite side of the castle from us,' he said.

'How did you two find each other?' James asked.

Now it was Remus' turn to chuckle. 'In much the same fashion that we found you,' he said. 'I'd been cornered by a few Slytherins.'

Sirius grinned. 'I knocked out Rosier. That's two members of the Slytherin Quidditch team for me,' he said, earning an appreciative look from James. 'It was luck, really. He came into the game about two hallways over from where I was, and I saw the Slytherins closing in. I caught them all by surprise.'

'Nice,' James said. 'And then you tried to find Peter?'

Remus grimaced. 'It hasn't been easy. There's a massive throng of students fighting all over the center of the castle. It'll be bloody risky to cross down to the dungeons where Peter is,' he observed.

'We were trying to figure out the best path when we saw you come in,' Sirius offered. 'You were closer. We had to dispatch a few people on the way over here—fortunately nobody too hard—but it looks like we got to you in the nick of time.'

Remus cleared his throat. 'Have you noticed the Slytherins are particularly gung-ho for you yet?' he asked.

'Yeah…same with you guys?' James asked.

Sirius laughed darkly. 'We saw you running your little gauntlet as soon as we got in. It was really weird just watching the ink dots moving around the page and hoping you were alright,' he added. 'But when I got in, it was the same. There weren't that many people in the school yet, but they were popping up everywhere we went. The Slytherins started teaming up right away, it was a lot of fight or flight at that point,' he said. Then he grinned again. 'I lead a pair of fifth years to the moving staircases just like Slughorn said. They were easy pickings.'

James nodded when another thought occurred to him. 'Come across any of our fri—anyone we know?' he amended the words hastily.

'Fortunately not yet,' Remus said sagely. 'You?'

James nodded. 'Gideon Prewett materialized in the nick of time to save me from Avery,' he said.

'Oh yeah, we saw that on the map,' Sirius said suddenly.

'Who won?' James asked.

Sirius chuckled. 'Gideon by the look of it, but he didn't get Avery. Some reinforcements arrived and he had to retreat. Looks like he's still on his own near Dumbledore's office…' he added, pointing to the map.

'How about Evans?' James asked.

Sirius laughed and pointed at Remus. 'You owe me a galleon,' he said. At James' quizzical look, Sirius chuckled. 'We picked on the over-under for when you'd ask about her. I took the under on five minutes,' he said proudly.

'Yes, yes, well done,' Remus muttered. 'They've taken Ravenclaw tower by the looks of things.'

James raised his eyebrows. 'That's interesting, since the Ravenclaws are holed up near Gryffindor tower,' he said.

'An eye for an eye,' Sirius sighed.

James clapped his hands quietly. 'Well, we'd best not stick around here all day,' he said. 'We should go and get Peter. He wasn't looking particularly well before he got in here—in fact, he may well still be ill,' he said, wrinkling his nose as he did.

'How many more students do you figure have to enter?' Sirius asked.

Remus glanced at his watch. 'About two hundred yet,' he said with a shake of his head. 'So how are we going to get down to Peter?'

They poured over the map. James did his best not to let his eyes linger on the ink blot that was labelled 'Lily Evans'. She was standing with a group of others including Marlene McKinnon, Mary McDonald, Alice Dearborn and Emmeline Vance.

'Well, the way James came up from the Hufflepuff dormitories doesn't look too bad at the moment,' Sirius said slowly. 'And we can go down there, cut back to the great hall and take the hallway down to the Slytherin dormitory.'

Remus grimaced. 'It looks like they've got people camping on the upper floors again. I thought Edgar had taken them out.'

'Might just be new ones,' James offered.

'Either way, I think Sirius is right to start,' Remus said. 'Let's go back to the stairway you came up and make our way down towards the Hufflepuff common room. We can re-evaluate things from there,' he said firmly.

'Mischief managed,' Sirius muttered and the map wiped itself clean as he concealed it in his uniform again. 'Ready to run?'

James shook his head. 'No running,' he declared. 'If we're not in a position where we need to fight, we should be conserving our energy.'

Remus and Sirius exchanged a glance and laughed. 'Wow,' Remus said.

'That's embarrassing. I can't believe I didn't think of that,' Sirius said with a laugh.

'You've just been running around everywhere?' James chuckled as they moved out into the hallway, taking care to make sure the coast was clear before they started to head back towards the entrance hall. They were all serious once again. 'Who was waiting in the wings in the entrance hall, Sirius?' James whispered.

Sirius shrugged. 'Didn't recognize the names, really.'

'So probably not students in our year,' Remus whispered. 'I'd guess they're older.'

James smirked. 'And why would you guess that?'

Remus chuckled. 'The young students are running around everywhere. Plus there's that old saying about old age and treachery…'

'Point taken,' James said. 'My thought is, why don't we take them out before we hit the staircase down? If we can get to the lower level fast enough, they might not have time for anyone else to take their spot,' he said.

Sirius glanced at Remus. 'That's an idea,' he muttered.

'But not without risks,' Remus countered. 'We'd be exposing ourselves. They could have help waiting nearby.'

James nodded to Sirius. 'So check the map,' he said.

Sirius grinned. 'Will do,' he said whipping the map out again as James and Remus waited patiently. Sirius barely looked at it for a moment when he balled it up and stuffed it down his shirt. 'Run,' he hissed simply.

'What's wrong?' James asked as they began to run, but a moment later they understood. At the far end of the hall, it appeared that Goyle was returning with reinforcements. James couldn't count them all that quickly, but it looked to be easily ten of them.

'Gryffindors!' Sirius shouted as they burst into the entrance hall, and the world was wrent apart by the sounds of shouts, jinxes and hexes hurtling around in all directions. James blindly cast a shield charm as they skirted along the edge of the main balcony. He could hear Remus doing the same, but Sirius was shouting fluid offensive spells back. James recognized Tiberius McLaggen in the group, and was somewhat irritated to see that he was targeting him.

'Stupefy!' James yelled, his stunning spell soaring out at McLaggen and just missing. McLaggen shot James a cocky look which was quickly wiped from his face—along with the rest of his facial features—as Sirius' spell caught him square between the eyes, coloring him bright purple.

The Slytherins arrived in the hall and the mayhem really begun. James, Sirius and Remus doggedly kept moving towards the hallway leading to the staircase, repelling errant spells that were sent their way. The Gryffindors and Slytherins were keeping each other occupied for the most part, but James spotted Goyle breaking away from the group with Flint, a seventh year.

'There they are!' he heard Flint cry.

Sirius heaved a redactor spell at them but Goyle knocked it aside as Flint cast a hex at them. Remus' shield charm expanded in time to send it hurtling back, but they had already moved aside, causing the spell to hit the wall. Remus stopped at the entrance to the hallway. 'Get in there!' he shouted, firing spells to provide cover as James and Sirius ducked into the hall. 'Now run!' he said.

They bolted down the hallway and reached the top of the staircase. James whirled in time to see Flint round the corner. His stunning spell missed by inches, causing Flint to trip and stagger into the wall. Goyle spun around the corner and cast a disarming spell, but James had already disappeared down the steps after Sirius and Remus. Sirius pointed his wand up the stairs. 'They'll be sitting ducks,' he said.

Just then, someone portkeyed into view. A Slytherin fourth year, Lucinda Talkalot, materialized in front of them right next to the staircase.

'Oh hell!' Sirius shouted and curses began to fly. Talkalot fired a hex straight at his face, but he was bodychecked aside by Remus whose shield charm sprung into being in front of them, bouncing a spell back at her. 'Come on!' Sirius called, dragging him back by the scruff of his neck as James fired a series of hexes at her, which she batted aside with impressive dexterity.

Goyle and Flint joined the fray and it was even members aside as they backed towards the entrance hall. 'Force them out in the open, they'll be picked off!' James heard flint shout.

'Not good!' Remus grunted as he cast a disarming spell at Goyle that missed by the narrowest of margins. 'We're going to be sitting ducks!'

James fired a stunning spell that Talkalot only just managed to block. 'Okay, you lot. When I say go, run like hell, understand?' he said.

Remus' eyes bugged out momentarily, but he gained control of himself and nodded determinedly as he deflected another hex that Flint had sent his way.

'Just say when,' Sirius grunted as he fired a stunning spell back at the Slytherins. They were only feet away from the entrance hall now, they would be exposed any moment.

'James?' Remus asked in worry as he blocked yet another barrage of spells sent forward by Flint. 'Any moment now—' he was saying.

'NOW!' James yelled and he fired a quick volley of spells which momentarily distracted the Slytherins by forcing them to defend. The three of them turned and sprinted into the entrance hall, rounding the corner and going pell-mell for the hallway leading to the dungeons. They could hear the shouts from above accompanied by the whistling sounds of spells hurtling towards them. James whipped his wand over his head, blindly casting a shield charm, and he saw Remus and Sirius do the same thing ahead of them.

Sirius made it first, diving into the hallway. Remus ducked inside next, turning and firing a shield charm up over James as he dove in last. They scurried out of sight as spells pelted the ground outside the entrance, letting them know they had come only inches away from being hit.

'Are they following?' Sirius grunted, clutching a stitch in his side.

Remus risked a glance out, ducking back in quickly as more hexes struck the stone near him. 'No, I think they've decided not to chance it,' he panted, glancing back over at the others. 'We're just lucky that this hallway was empty.'

'Wouldn't it be great if that were true?' mused a voice behind them. The three of them spun to see a Gryffindor seventh-year standing there. Even in the dim light of the hallway, his face looked extremely familiar.

'Hang on…' James said. 'You're…'

'Alice's brother,' Caradoc Dearborn said with a chuckle. 'But that won't earn you any points with me, I'm afraid. Shall I eliminate you now, or would you like a moment to catch your breath?'


	34. Truces and Rest

34

They stood there sizing each other up for several moments. James, Sirius and Remus stood with their backs to the edge of the corridor leading back into the entrance hall only a few feet away. Caradoc stood firmly in their path in the middle of the hallway, regarding them carefully. All four of them had their wands raised—James, Sirius and Remus with theirs pointed at Caradoc's, while Caradoc's was pointed squarely at James.

'If it's a fight you want, you can see you're outnumbered,' Sirius said carefully.

'Blessed as I am with the ability to count, I _did _notice that,' Caradoc said with a smirk. 'It's nice to finally meet you officially, James. I've heard a great deal about you.'

James smiled grimly. 'Not all bad, I hope?'

'On the contrary,' Caradoc said with a polite nod. 'My sister speaks very highly of you, and she doesn't bestow praise lightly—believe me,' he added with a chuckle at what James gathered was a reference to his relationship with her.

'How come I don't see you guys together very much?' James asked conversationally.

Caradoc smiled. 'You lot haven't experienced the fun that is NEWTs yet,' he said dryly. 'Also, she and Longbottom are pretty well attached at the hip. That doesn't leave a lot of room for brother-sister bonding,' he said. 'But we get on well.'

Remus cleared his throat. 'So how's this going to go? Are you that confident that you can take all three of us?' he asked.

'I'd be interested to find out. I enjoy a challenge,' Caradoc said coyly.

'Is that why you're on your own? No allies?' Sirius asked.

Caradoc's smile dropped slightly. 'No, I started with a few. They all got picked off, unfortunately…that git Flint from Slytherin had a pretty big party chase us down. I barely got out myself,' he added darkly.

'Funny, he was the one who just chased us in here,' Sirius said.

'You don't say?' Caradoc muttered as he rubbed his chin. 'Maybe I'll have to pay him a visit.'

'Fancy some new allies?' Remus asked hopefully.

Caradoc smiled again. 'There's not many people I'd ally with. And I think just about the entire school knows that there's no coming between the four of you,' he said and then he nodded at each of them. 'Speaking of which, where is your fourth?'

'Haven't found him yet,' Sirius said quietly.

'Too bad,' Caradoc said. 'Shall we get on with it then?' he asked, raising his wand, an action that Sirius and Remus instantly mimicked.

'Wait!' James said, causing everyone to look at him. 'What about your sister?'

Caradoc frowned. 'What about her?' he asked.

'Would you ally with her?' James said.

Caradoc regarded him carefully. 'Are you trying to tell me something, James?' he asked quietly.

'I know where she is,' James replied firmly.

'How?' Caradoc responded.

'We saw her,' Remus said.

'When?' Caradoc asked sceptically.

'Not long ago,' Remus lied smoothly. 'She's safe—part of a big group that's fortified a position of strength in the castle. I'd bet she's still there.'

Caradoc considered this for a moment. 'So why aren't you lot with them, then? You're all friends,' he stated.

James chuckled. 'We formed our alliance, they formed theirs. They're pretty competitive. But she might be happy to see you,' he added.

'It's an idea,' Caradoc mused. 'So what are you proposing? I let you go on the promise that you're giving me the right information and not leading me on a wild goose chase or—much worse—a trap?' he asked with a raised eyebrow.

'What if we took you there?' Remus suggested. 'As a gesture of good faith—if it was a trap, why would we walk into it?'

James nodded. 'We'll take you to her, you can join her and we'll run off. Next time we meet…all bets are off,' he added.

'Or we could eliminate you now,' Sirius said confidently.

Caradoc laughed. 'I can see I'm going to like you three—which, in this game, is probably not a good thing,' he said. 'Alright…truce.' He lowered his wand and the others did the same. 'So where are we headed?'

'We're not giving the destination away so suddenly,' Remus said quickly before either Sirius or James could say anything. 'We'll lead you there. But we need to keep at least one card up our sleeve,' he said.

'I suppose that's fair,' Caradoc murmured. 'So where to first?'

James glanced at Sirius and Remus. 'A little further into the dungeons,' Sirius declared. 'We—er—came down here for something.'

'Oh?' Caradoc asked as they began to walk along the corridor.

'Well, looking for someone, more like,' Sirius added somewhat lamely.

Caradoc nodded. 'Well, we can cover more ground as a group, I guess. But just a piece of friendly advice,' he said, turning a steely gaze on the three of them. 'This is a game. You know that and I know that. But after this, we go back to the real world. So if this is a play, if you intend to double cross me…' his eyes narrowed. 'I'll make you pay.'

'Duly noted,' James said with a chuckle as they moved along. They began to move along the hallway in the direction of where the statue of the one-eyed witch was.

'Would I be correct in guessing we're looking for your fourth?' Caradoc asked.

Remus nodded. 'We haven't been able to find him.'

'It's a miracle the three of you found each other,' Caradoc said, missing the glance that Sirius, Remus and James shared. Sirius shifted, and James knew he was flattening the map against himself. 'It's been a madhouse in here since the start—although you'd know that better than me, Black,' he added.

Sirius shrugged. 'I think it was actually easier at the start. Once we crossed one hundred and two hundred students, it got really messy.'

'I guess so,' Caradoc said. 'I haven't seen hide nor hair of my sister since I got in. Glad to hear she's holed herself up with some others.'

They were approaching the statue of the one-eyed witch. James motioned for them all to stop. 'Peter?' he called.

'James?' a voice said back and Peter scrambled out from behind the statue, still looking quite green. The group rushed forward to him, but he held up a hand. 'Stop,' he mumbled. 'I've been sick. Don't want you to see…or smell…'

'That's kind of you,' Caradoc said, wrinkling his nose.

Peter seemed to notice him for the first time. 'Who's he?' he asked.

'Dearborn's brother,' Sirius supplied.

'I'm so glad to see you all,' Peter hiccoughed. 'I pretty well just hid out of sight from the word go. I can't seem to stop being sick.'

Remus grimaced. 'Fine time for that,' he said. 'No Madam Pomfrey around.'

'I'm sure it's just nerves,' James said encouragingly, earning him a very sceptical smirk from Caradoc and Sirius. 'Right, so, there's not much time to waste. We're heading back up the stairs.'

Peter looked worried. 'That's a pretty big warzone,' he said.

'Sure is,' Sirius said with a sigh. 'But like I always say, I prefer a straight fight to sneaking around,' he said confidently.

Caradoc nodded. 'You can lead the way,' he joked, causing Remus to burst out laughing.

James glanced at his watch. 'Already almost ten in the evening,' he observed. 'I wonder if people are going to start sleeping for the night?'

'They'd be crazy,' Sirius said.

'Would they?' Remus said thoughtfully. Everyone looked at him. 'We have an advantage here that few outside of Slytherin might enjoy—we have the numbers to allow some of us to sleep while someone stands guard.'

'Or,' Sirius said, 'maybe we could catch some of those aforementioned Slytherins while they're sleeping comfortably and better our chances,' he said to an appreciative nod from Caradoc.

Remus smiled patiently. 'Some of these events have been known to last for weeks. Staying well-nourished and well rested is going to be essential.' He glanced around. 'I vote we find a classroom to hole up and get some rest. There's five of us, so we elect one guard to stay awake for one hour. That means each of us should get a few hours uninterrupted.'

Sirius sighed. 'Leave it to you to ruin a good buzz with your logic,' he deadpanned.

'It's a good point,' Caradoc said after a moment. 'And it might allow Peter here to feel a bit better,' he said kindly, earning himself a smile from the smallest of their number.

'You mentioned food?' James asked.

Remus frowned. 'I'm not sure how they plan on getting that to us.'

'House elves,' Caradoc supplied. 'I guess you need to stop long enough for them to catch you to eat,' he quipped.

'So where do we hole up?' Sirius asked.

'We're in the dungeons, so Professor Slughorn's classroom isn't that far off,' James said. 'Should be as secure as any place we can find.'

'Let's do it,' Remus said. They backtracked through the hallways until they found the classroom. They entered one at a time, sweeping the room to ensure they were in fact alone before Peter closed the door behind them. 'Right, who wants first watch?' Remus asked.

James shrugged. 'I'll do it,' he said.

Caradoc glanced at him. 'Remember what I said,' he chuckled.

'Hasn't Alice told you I'm a man of my word?' James asked with a grin.

After several minutes of sitting there, a plate of food appeared in front of each of them. It hadn't really occurred to James, but they had not eaten anything over the course of the whole day—they had had a magnificent supper the evening before, but that morning they had gotten straight out of bed and prepared to enter the arena. They ate ravenously, polishing their plates clean and sitting contentedly. Peter ate less than the rest of them, but was at least able to keep some food down. James suspected he was feeling better now that he was reunited with the others and not running around on his own.

'Right,' Remus yawned. 'So James, wake me in an hour? I'll take second watch?'

James nodded. ' Sounds good. Pleasant dreams,' he said as everyone found a patch of floor. Caradoc propped himself up in a corner opposite the door so he would have a view of anyone coming into the room. Remus curled up next to Slughorn's desk, Peter not far from him. James went and sat near the door, Sirius leaning against the wall close to him as he did so.

The exhaustion of the day caught up with them all quite quickly. Peter was the first to pass out, his light snores reaching all of their ears. Remus followed, and Caradoc's head drooped down to his chest next. Sirius, who had been watching Caradoc, was the last to fall asleep, his usual loud snoring puncturing the quiet of the room.

James reached into Sirius' shirt and plucked out the Marauders' Map. He glanced at Caradoc and then turned his back on him so he was facing the door, his body between the newest member of their party and the map. 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' he muttered, tapping the wand and watching as it came to life.

It seemed that every student had now entered the game. There was not a great deal of movement on the map. There was a large clump of what James could only guess were Ravenclaws near the Gryffindor dormitories. They appeared to all be stationary, leading James to believe they had bunkered down for the night. There was a similarly large group of Slytherins at the Astronomy Tower. James recognized many of their names with a surge of loathing, including Severus Snape. Snape was apparently still awake, as his footsteps paced back and forth atop the highest tower. Avery was there, as was Mulciber and Regulus Black. He recognized other names such as Talkalot and Flint among their numbers.

He smiled as he saw Edgar Bones and what must have been the girl he had fought alongside were inside the hospital wing. The girl's name was Sally Cadwallader. He continued gazing over the map—Gideon and Fabian Prewett had found each other. James was not sure if it was by design or luck, but the two were off in a corner of the school and no one else was even close to them. If James were forced to guess, he would hazard to say everyone was trying their best to avoid a duel with them.

Finally, he let his eyes wander to Ravenclaw tower. His heart leapt as he saw the ink blot for Lily Evans was still there, sitting with Alice Dearborn, Mary McDonald, Marlene McKinnon, Emmeline Vance and—to James' equal parts surprise and amusement—Frank Longbottom.

_Looks like Frank convinced them to let him join after all,_ James thought to himself with a chuckle.

There was still what looked to be some duelling going on in the entrance hall, but that was a ways off from where they were. James sighed and glanced at his watch and then back at the ink blot for Lily. Hers was unmoving, and James guessed that she was asleep as well. Who had been assigned the first watch in her group? Were they strategizing like James and his friends were right now?

_How will they react when we bring Alice's brother to them? Will they be happy to see us and want to form an alliance? Or will they instantly try and eliminate us?_

James preferred to hope that Lily would instantly want to join forces, and through their combined efforts they would finish atop the group and somehow both be declared winners before Lily declared that she did in fact love him, and that Snape was an unseemly git who should go jump in a lake.

He smiled faintly and laid the map on the ground, stretching his legs out on either side. He had lost count of how many students had been eliminated today. As he settled in for his watch, he idly wondered what the next morning would bring.


	35. Marches and Melees

35

James had finished his shift and allowed Remus to take over. In what seemed like only seconds, he had drifted off into an exhausted sleep, his muscles finally caving in and allowing themselves to feel as taxed as they were. He sprawled out on the floor, letting the cool stone act as a soothing balm against his body and he drifted off to sleep.

It didn't feel like much later that he was being shaken awake. Not by Remus, however, but by Sirius. 'James, come here,' he whispered in an urgent tone.

James glanced around—Caradoc, Peter and Remus were all sleeping. James had missed a changing of the guard or two. 'What's wrong? Someone coming?' he asked urgently.

'Not here,' Sirius said, pointing at the map. 'The Slytherins have been on the move for a while. They forced the Ravenclaws out of Gryffindor tower just a few minutes ago.'

James' jaw dropped. 'But there were about a hundred Ravenclaws there,' he said.

Sirius nodded grimly. 'Not anymore. The ones that didn't get eliminated have been forced to scatter. The Slytherins did it the right way, too…it doesn't look like they lost many people.'

'Great,' James muttered, staring at the map. 'At least they're not here.'

Sirius glanced back at Caradoc. 'Well, see, I was thinking about that. Clearly they targeted the Ravenclaws as a group to eliminate, right? Targeted the only other big group that could stand against them?'

'Yeah…' James said slowly.

'You see any other big groups that have claimed a section of the castle for their own on there?' Sirius pressed, pointing at the ink blots that marked Lily, Mary, Marlene, Alice, Frank and Emmeline.

James raised his eyebrows. 'Damn,' he muttered.

'From a purely strategic point of view,' Sirius went on, 'Caradoc might be less inclined to be our ally if Alice has already been eliminated. And from the slightly more humane point of view…well, I'd rather a bunch of Slytherin scum _didn't _eliminate my girlfriend.'

James nodded. 'So we should move now,' he said, glancing at his watch. It was half past six in the morning. He looked at the Slytherins on the map near Gryffindor tower—they hadn't begun to move yet, but they weren't exactly staying still. 'What's our best path?'

Sirius grimaced as he gestured at the map vaguely. 'Pick your poison,' he muttered.

James scrutinized the map and quickly realized he was right. The entrance hall was cluttered with a mass of relocated Ravenclaws and a few Slytherins. The movement of the ink blots told James that the battle was still going. A few Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs were scattered around the corridors up above, and there were still several Slytherins camped out in the hallway that lead back to the staircase they had taken to the basement in the first place.

'We could try getting back to that hallway and taking the Slytherins on…with Caradoc, we might stand a chance,' Sirius said.

James chewed on that for a moment. 'I think a more direct approach is in order,' he said with a sly grin.

Sirius smiled somewhat nervously. 'What are you thinking?'

James tapped the center of the entrance hall. 'I think we should march up the main staircase in the entrance hall.'

'Great strategy,' Sirius deadpanned. 'The proverbial equivalent of a daylight charge over a minefield. Are you missing class with McGonagall or something?'

James laughed quietly. 'No, think about it—everyone in the entrance hall is busy fighting right now. We might even make it most of the way without being noticed, and it is by far the most direct route to the Astronomy tower. Once we get to the top of the staircase, we just have to go through these two corridors here,' he said, pointing at the map.

Sirius squinted. 'Those two corridors have at least fifteen people in them.'

James pointed at the corridor next to them. 'There's four Slytherins waiting in the corridor we came from, plus two more up the staircase. Then there's five corridors between there and the Astronomy tower, and they're packed.'

He wasn't wrong—two of them were held by a contingent of students from Hufflepuff, and then there were more from Gryffindor.

'So to recap,' Sirius whispered, 'we're going to charge out into the entrance hall, march up the main staircase and hope we got unnoticed by the several dozen duelling students presently in there, then take on fifteen students in quick succession as we go through the corridors to make our way to the fair maidens who may or may not try to eliminate us on sight.'

James nodded. 'That's what I'm proposing.'

Sirius sighed. 'Well, I love this plan. Let's do it.'

They quickly stirred the others awake and did their best to sum up in the vaguest fashion possible, given that Caradoc didn't and couldn't know about the existence of the map. He was naturally surprised by most of the information. 'I'm sorry, how do you know this?' he asked in amazement on several occasions.

'Intuition,' Sirius said.

'You're going to need to give me something more than that,' Caradoc said.

James spread his hands out palms up in a peaceful gesture. 'You said Alice talks about me,' he said. 'Has she ever said that it seems like I know things? Things that maybe I oughtn't to?' he asked.

'Yes…' Caradoc said slowly.

'This is one of those things,' James said. 'And right now, we need you not to argue—we need you to trust us and we need to move because we're losing time. Time in which the Slytherins might move against the group that your sister is currently in.'

Everyone looked at Caradoc expectantly. 'And you really think that charging blindly through the great hall is the best route?' he asked.

'Like I always say, I prefer a straight fight,' Sirius said in as encouraging a voice as he could manage.

Caradoc snorted. 'You can lead the way then,' he said sarcastically.

'This is going to suck,' Peter muttered miserably.

Remus clasped his shoulder. 'Just keep running and stay next to me. You'll be fine,' he said reassuringly. 'Shall we, then?'

James nodded, gripping his wand. They slowly exited the classroom and moved at a brisk pace down the hall. Sirius took the lead, James right behind. Peter and Remus were next, and Caradoc brought up the rear as they got to the edge of the hallway. Sirius hesitated. The sounds of combat could be heard echoing through the chamber—spells of all manners, skill levels and complexity, the yells of male and female alike, swearing, insults, curses, hexes and jinxes being hurled at breakneck speed. Sirius glanced back at the others.

'Ready?' he whispered.

Everyone nodded except for Peter, who merely looked ill.

'Now!' Sirius hissed, and they ran.

It was like being next to a crate of fireworks that had suddenly been ignited. The very air around them seemed to pop, bang and crackled with the force of the spells being hurled around them. James nearly collided with a student who was backing up quickly, defensively duelling against a much taller student who was aggressing upon him. A group of three that were all trying to eliminate each other rushed by in front of them, fiercely duelling from one side of the hall to the other.

Sirius hit the stairs first, taking them two at a time. James cast a glance upwards, ready to cast a shield charm, but no one had seemed to notice them yet. He saw what had to be two dozen combatants battling at various points on the balconies. He recognized a large number of Ravenclaws and Slytherins, fiercely trying to oust each other from the game.

'Heads up!' he heard Caradoc yell. He glanced back to see a spell hurtling towards them, but Caradoc expertly blasted it aside with a spell off his own, ending both spells harmlessly into the walls. James followed the spell back to its source and felt a surge of anger—Severus Snape was standing on the balcony and had sent the spell his way.

'Stupefy!' James yelled, hurling the spell back at Snape who dove for cover.

'Don't focus on him, just run!' Remus yelled from behind him. But a few more Slytherins appeared to have noticed them now and more spells began rocketing towards them. Shouts of 'Protego!' went up from the five of them, deflecting the spells back in all manner of directions as Sirius reached the top of the stairs.

'Black!' shouted a Slytherin, pointing at Sirius just in time to have James' curse strike him in the leg, coloring it orange and causing his wand to evaporate. 'Black and Potter!' the boy yelled.

'Damn that thirty second rule!' Sirius hissed. 'Run!'

A Ravenclaw lunged forward, slashing his wand at Peter. Remus stepped up and bodied him aside and the swiftness of his shield charm knocked the Ravenclaw off balance so Caradoc's disarming spell caught him in the midsection. One of the Ravenclaws' mates saw this occur and yelled to his friends, causing three of them to come running over.

Peter reached out from behind Remus, swiping his wand and sending a curse forward. The lead Ravenclaw, who James recognized as the girl named Patil from their Occlumency classes in second year, deflected it right back at him. Peter and Remus had to dive apart to avoid being hit. James lunged forward, sending two quick stunning spells at her, causing her to leap for cover. One of her male compatriots, who seemed to be in his first year, rushed forward impulsively, slashing his wand repeatedly. While his magical skill was impressive for a first year, his decision making was not—Caradoc easily picked him off with a quick stunner to the midsection.

That left three of the Ravenclaws fiercely duelling with them. Sirius was trying to force his way towards the nearest hallway entrance, and they seemed to notice and try and position themselves in between them and their getaway.

'I wouldn't do that,' James called, but they dug in and begun firing offensive spells in quick succession. Remus deflected two right back at them, forcing them to duck.

'This way!' Sirius called as he blocked a curse sent at him and fired back.

'JAMES, WATCH OUT!' Remus yelled suddenly, grabbing James by the scruff of his neck and hauling him aside just as a curse scorched by. James looked over his shoulder to see Snape still on the far side of the hall, jabbing his wand furiously at them. James pointed his wand at his Slytherin counterpart and rattled off five stunning spells in quick succession, moving his wand back and forth by several inches as he did so. This served the purpose of making it much more difficult for Snape to dodge, and he was forced back into the entrance of a hallway as he did so.

He turned his attention back to the three remaining Ravenclaws. Caradoc and Sirius had pressed them back into the mouth of the hallway entrance. Caradoc sent a stunning spell that caught one of them in the side. Patil turned to observe her fallen comrade, and Sirius' spell struck her, leaving a fifth year on his own. He swore and took off down the hallway, abandoning the fight.

James glanced back to see Snape once more, circling the hall towards them and marshalling Slytherins to follow. James carefully aimed his wand, hoping to catch Snape unawares, and was nearly struck by a spell sent by a Hufflepuff who had managed to enter the fray. James quickly retaliated, catching the Hufflepuff in the arm and eliminating her.

'James, come ON!' Sirius yelled. He had reached the hallway, Remus and Peter hot on his heels. Caradoc stood firm, deflecting several spells that came their way with impressive dexterity.

'Potter, drop!' he shouted and James obeyed instantly. Caradoc's stunning spell soared over his head, and James rolled over to see it catch an approaching Slytherin in the chest. James wasted no time, scrambling to his feet and running past Caradoc into the hallway, casting one look back at Snape and the charging Slytherins as he did so. 'Move, move, move!' Caradoc urged and they ran.

'We've got company!' Sirius shouted and James glanced up to see several students who had clearly taken refuge in the hallway scrambling to their feet, the last Ravenclaw among them. Sirius, Remus, Peter and James all sent stunning spells at them at once—two of them were instantly hit, and the rest began to retreat. The Ravenclaw was shrewdly using them as human shields to escape.

'We're about ten seconds away from having an army of Slytherins on our backs!' James called.

Caradoc swore. 'Get behind me,' he said. The others immediately obeyed and he charged—the wand work he performed in the next few moments was dazzling. It spun in his hands in a way that James had yet to see equalled, and curses flew out at blazing speed, quickly overcoming the two remaining students in their way. Caradoc did not slow down, chasing the Ravenclaw up ahead who was now running as quickly as he could away in terror.

'Reducto!' Caradoc yelled, and his spell soared forward, catching the Ravenclaw in the back.

'Nice!' Peter yelled appreciatively.

'Keep running! Keep running, here they come!' Remus called desperately from the back. James looked back in time to see what must have been twenty curses flying their way through the dark.

'Shields!' he bellowed and he stopped, Remus and Sirius flanking him. 'PROTEGO!' they all cried. James' arms vibrated as the barrage of spells crashed into their shield charms and repelled back down the hallway towards their casters.

'Go, go!' Sirius yelled and they ran once more, Sirius swinging his wand indiscriminately over his shoulder.

'Give me your wand,' Caradoc said firmly to Peter who instantly obeyed. 'Cover the front!' he then called to Sirius and Remus who charged ahead, their wands pointed forward to tackle any newcomers. 'You good at running backwards?' he asked James and twisted as he ran, pointing both wands forward and firing non-verbal spells quicker than James would have thought possible.

James spun on the spot and followed suit. He then remembered Cadwallader's trick from when they had been pincered. 'You keep up the offense, I've got the defense!' he shouted. Caradoc nodded his assent and James quickly began casting shield charms as Caradoc waved the two wands back and forth. James was gratified to see two Slytherins drop out of the running, but it seemed that almost immediately, two more took their place.

'Staircase up ahead!' Remus called. 'Leads to the next hallway!'

'Let's hit it fast!' Sirius called.

'Is there any way to block it?' Peter panted. 'Maybe we can cut them off!'

James glanced over his shoulder in time to see Sirius vaulting up the stairs. 'Go,' Caradoc instructed. 'I've got you covered.' James obeyed and hit the stairs as well, Remus and Peter just ahead of him as Caradoc stood at the bottom, firing spells at their pursuers. James was out of breath as he reached the top of the staircase.

'Suit of armour,' Sirius panted, pointing. 'It should slow them down.'

'No good—everything's been made imperturbable, it won't budge,' Remus gasped.

James looked down the staircase. 'Come on, Caradoc, we've got to run!' he yelled.

'Coming!' Caradoc shouted, bounding up the stairs. 'Which way?' he asked as he passed Peter back his wand.

Sirius pointed. 'It's this way to Alice and the others—' he began.

'We need to go this way,' James panted, pointing in the opposite direction. Everyone looked at him in confusion. 'Look, right now, we have their attention—they won't go attacking Alice and the others if they think they can get us instead. If we go that way, we'll be leading that rampaging kill party straight to them.'

They considered that for a moment, and everyone glanced at Caradoc. 'He's right,' he sighed. 'Well, start running!'

Peter groaned. 'Not more running?'

Sirius laughed. 'Any time you feel like going back to homework, Peter, you can stop running!' this seemed to motivate Peter, who suddenly surged ahead of them.

They took off at a blistering pace down the corridor, away from Alice and Frank, away from Marlene, Mary and Emmeline, and away from Lily. James cast one look back, and hoped that this would not be as close as he came to her during the course of the game.


	36. Jumps and Staircases

36

James almost felt as if he was back in his nightmares, running from the Inferi after they had attacked Hogsmeade. His legs felt like dead wood, his lungs were on fire within his chest, begging for relief as the five of them continued pounding down the corridors of the school. By sheer luck, they had not run into any students ahead of them, because James was sure that would have spelled their doom. Had they decided to risk looking at the map, James was certain that they would have seen approximately thirty Slytherins in hot pursuit, with Snape apparently calling their shots.

_Snape, _James thought angrily. _So much for Lily's hope that he would work against the Slytherins. _

'Can't…keep…going…' Peter was wheezing from in front of him.

'You've…got…to!' Remus gasped.

Caradoc pointed. 'Staircase!' he said. It was not just one staircase, however—but James recognized it as a staircase leading to the room of moving staircases. If they played this right, they might be able to put some actual distance between them and the Slytherins.

Peter hit the staircase first and nearly slipped—his exhaustion was showing as he staggered and stumbled his way to the top, often needing Remus to prod him from behind. James, Sirius and Caradoc stopped at the base of the staircase and fired several volleys of hexes at their pursuers. They were so many that James couldn't pick out individual faces—he would have given anything for one clear shot at Snape.

'Come on, you three!' Remus called. They sprinted up the staircase as the wall where they had been standing was peppered with hexes and curses fired by the Slytherins. They reached the top of the staircase and stood on a ledge leading into a minor abyss, series' of staircases down below them. A moment later, a descending staircase moved into place. 'Go!' Remus said and they all clambered on.

James and Sirius spun and pointed their wands at the entrance they had just emerged from. A Slytherin in his third year made it to the top first, but was unable to withstand the barrage of spells James and Sirius promptly lambasted him with. Two more Slytherins emerged and began returning fire as they shoved their fallen comrade back down the staircase. The force of their spells caused James and Sirius to duck.

'What now? We're sitting ducks on this thing!' Sirius said.

Caradoc glanced over the side. 'Follow my lead!' he said.

He promptly jumped over the side of the railing, causing James' jaw to drop, Sirius' eyes to goggle out of his head, and Peter to moan miserably. Remus merely looked nonplussed. 'After you, Peter,' he said. When Peter looked at him in horror, Remus sighed. 'You leave me no choice.' With that he bodily picked up Peter, who shouted in protest, and hurled him over the side of the railing. 'Come on, you two!' he shouted and he jumped next.

James pressed himself to the railing and looked down. The three of them had landed on a staircase below them, but it was quickly moving away. 'Jump, or you won't make it!' Caradoc shouted. The next moment he was forced to duck as the Slytherins took aim at him. 'Blasted, stinking little—' James heard him shout.

'Ready for this?' Sirius asked.

'Let's do it!' James called and they both vaulted over the side of the railing, plummeting through the air towards the staircase below. Sirius was hollering as they fell—James picked out the words 'Wendy, I can fly!' and then they were crashing onto the staircase, their blow softened as Remus had evidently cast a Winguardium Leviosa charm, which he quickly cut short as James started to bob back into the air.

'Duck,' Sirius said fiercely and James did so as more hexes flew their way. James risked a glance up—there were now six Slytherins crammed onto the small ledge, and the staircase that James and Sirius had vacated was completing a slow loop back to them.

Remus bit his lip. 'They'll be on us in a moment,' he said. 'We need to move fast. Where are we going to?'

'We can't go that way,' Peter said pointing to the door. 'That leads to Gryffindor tower.'

James pointed at another hallway down below that. 'What about down there? Start back down at the base of the school and work our way back up?'

'I like it,' Sirius declared.

Caradoc pointed. 'Here, take this staircase!' he shouted. The five of them scrambled to the bottom of the staircase just as it met the top of another. They quickly crossed over and promptly ducked as more hexes flew their way. James looked up to see that the Slytherins had jumped onto the first set of stairs. James pointed his wand and cast a stunning spell which caught one of them in the forearms. Sirius fired an Impediment jinx which struck one in the chest. Peter then surprised everyone by hurling a disarming spell at a fifth year, catching him unawares in the back of the head.

'Nice job,' Caradoc said kindly. 'Ready to jump again?'

Everyone nodded grimly as a staircase swung underneath them. Caradoc went first, landing nimbly ten feet below. He turned, waving his wand as Remus and Peter dropped next. Caradoc's wand work caused them to land lightly on their feet. James vaulted over next and looked back up. Sirius was about to join when James saw the Slytherins gain a clear line of sight on him.

'Sirius, watch OUT!' James yelled.

Sirius didn't ask questions, immediately ducking back down as his staircase was pelted with jinxes. This ended up being costly in more ways than one, as Sirius' staircase swung far away from where he could have jumped to them.

'Not good!' Caradoc said as he fired a jinx at one of the Slytherins, a seventh year who deflected it deftly and fired one back.

Remus cast a shield charm, repelling it back. 'What do we do?' he asked.

'Get out of here!' Sirius' voice drifted back to them as he went for a spin around the room. 'I'll catch up! I'll be fine!'

'He'll be killed,' Peter moaned.

James grit his teeth. 'You three stay here. Stay on the loop, I'll be back in a moment. Caradoc, give me a boost,' he said.

Caradoc raised his eyebrows. 'You'll be a sitting duck,' he said.

'Try and make me a moving duck if you can,' James quipped.

'Winguardium Leviosa,' Caradoc declared and James launched up into the air. A staircase swung in front of him and he caught it, clambering up. He was still across the room from Sirius, who was pressed down flat against his staircase as a group of five Slytherins on a nearby one tried to hit him. James cast a quick succession of spells at their backs—he felt a swell of triumph as he struck two of them, but the other three turned and returned fire. James ran to the top of his staircase and hurled himself off, another staircase about a foot higher swinging in front of him. James caught it with one arm and hung their precariously as he swung through the air.

'It's Potter!' shouted a Slytherin James recognized as Flint from the hallway they had first come from.

'Oi, Flint!' Caradoc shouted and a massive hex emitted from the end of his wand, rocketing across the chamber. Flint and the Slytherins cried out in fear and leapt back into the hallway was it crashed harmlessly into the stone walls. James took advantage of the momentary distraction and dropped onto another staircase swinging underneath him. He was now only two staircases away from Sirius, but he was now swinging directly underneath the hallway where the Slytherins were.

'Go get him!' he heard Flint's voice and three terrified first years suddenly plummeted over the side down to where James was, landing in a heap.

'Stupefy!' James yelled, catching one in the chest. Before he could turn to the other two, they were both struck with stunning spells and a massive force crashed onto James' back, sending him crashing to the ground. Winded, he spun to look at his new attacker only to see Sirius there. He had leapt from his staircase onto James.

'Alright, James?' he said with a gasp of a laugh.

'Heads up, you two!' Caradoc shouted from across the room. They looked up to see that Caradoc, Remus and Peter were keeping a steady stream of curses aimed at the hallway entrance where Flint and the Slytherins were trying to get through. James looked around, aware that there were still two Slytherins on one of the staircases around them.

No sooner had he had the thought then they leapt off the staircase swinging overtop of them onto their staircase.

'Get them!' the first one, a burly sixth year shouted. The second, a fifth year, immediately fired a hex at James. James barely got his shield charm up in time, but the force of the spell sent him skittering backwards down the staircase, nearly causing him to plummet off the end of it into the abyss. Sirius took up the defense, spinning and deflecting spells back at the two Slytherins as they fiercely tried to hit him. James clambered back to his feet.

'Sirius, duck!' James shouted, and Sirius instantly obeyed. James fired two stunning spells, one of which missed by an inch and the second was deflected right back at him by the sixth year. James knew a moment of fear, but his Quidditch instincts came to his rescue. He bent backwards at the knee, pulling into an absurd limbo position wherein his back almost struck the concrete. He watched the spell soar over his face by millimeters, and then he willed himself back up into a standing position. 'STUPEFY!' he yelled and the fifth year—so surprised that the spell had missed—was caught flat in the face, causing him to stagger backwards.

Now it was James and Sirius against the sixth year. James spared a glance back—the others had successfully prohibited the remaining Slytherins from entering the room. James now turned his full attention to the sixth year and they brought on the attack. He and Sirius alternated between stunners, disarming spells, impediment jinxes, jelly legs jinxes, everything they knew was being hurled at the Slytherin. They were slowly forcing him backwards up the staircase, and the sixth year seemed to realize it. He cast a shield charm and lunged forward at them, the combination of the spell and his sudden movement forcing James and Sirius to split apart. James knew a moment of confusion and then he was struck across the face by the sixth-year's fist. He saw stars as he fell down the staircase, barely maintaining his grip on his wand as his feet fell over the edge. He grabbed one of the rungs of the side rails just in time, hanging precariously over the side even though his vision was swimming.

'BASTARD!' Sirius roared and he suddenly bull rushed the sixth year, tackling him onto the stairs. Both of their wands clattered down the staircase towards James as Sirius and the Slytherin disappeared in a flurry of feet, fists and hair. James shook the cobwebs from his head and hauled his right leg onto the bottom step. His forearms were crying out in protest but he grit his teeth and roared with the exertion of his energy as he hauled himself back onto the staircase. He climbed the next two steps, stopping to grab the two fallen wands.

'Sirius, get off!' James hollered.

Sirius glanced up at James in time to be booted in the midsection, sending him crashing into the railing and very nearly sending him careening over the side. The Slytherin climbed to his feet, and in that one instant, his eyes found the three wands in James' hands and he realized he had just cast aside his human shield.

'Expelliarmus!' James said triumphantly and the triple spelled painted the Slytherin in a splendid multi-color, knocking him back to the ground. One of the wands in James' hands evaporated, and he tossed the remaining one to Sirius who faced the sixth year as he regained his feet.

'Well fought,' Sirius said, and then he slammed his fist across the sixth year's chin, staggering him once again. 'Let's go!' Sirius called as the Slytherin turned back to them in fury. Sirius quickly descended the staircase, grabbing James' arm and leaping through the air, dragging James along with him. They landed in a heap on another staircase that was swinging quickly back towards the other side of the room. James caught sight of the Slytherin six year shouting obscenities at them before he cracked out of the game.

Sirius laughed. 'Well done,' he said. 'How's your head?'

'Fine—how's your hand?' James laughed back.

Sirius grunted—his hand was bleeding. 'Worth it,' he said with a grin as their staircase swung alongside the one that Caradoc, Peter and Remus were on. 'Let's get out of here. I don't care where we go, so long as we don't see another staircase any time soon,' he gasped.

'I heard that,' James muttered as they all clambered into the lowest hallway possible and began putting distance between themselves and the room of moving staircases.


	37. Splitups and Backups

37

They ran for several minutes, weaving and turning through the corridors that lead deeper into the bowels of Hogwarts. They were all breathing in ragged gasps, exhausted from the chase. Finally they came upon a hallway lined with suits of armor, providing for plenty of cover in the event of an ambush. 'Rest here?' Caradoc panted. Peter responded by flopping onto the floor unceremoniously in a great heap. Sirius leaned heavily against the wall, clutching his bleeding hand.

'I think I nearly broke it,' Sirius said through gritted teeth. 'Lunkhead sure didn't have a glass jaw.'

James was doubled over, clutching his knees as he sucked in as many deep breaths as he could. 'That was quite a sight, Sirius,' he said with a grin through gasps for breath. 'You lunging onto him and fighting with him?'

Sirius grinned. 'Worked out, didn't it?' he said with a chuckle.

'I'll go check and see that the coast is clear,' Caradoc said after a moment. 'Wait here, yell if anyone comes.' He trotted on ahead, having regained his breath, and disappeared around the corner.

Remus grunted from where he was sitting on the floor. 'Pass that map over, Sirius,' he said. 'I think it would be safer with someone who has a less suicidal tendency to start brawling with older students.'

Sirius laughed again as he reached into his uniform and withdrew the map, handing it to Remus. 'All yours, Moony,' he gasped. 'I think I could fall asleep here if we were allowed.'

'Probably not a great idea,' Remus said as he shoved the map into his own uniform. 'Severus will probably be rallying the Slytherins for another try at us. He seems to want James rather badly.'

Sirius' grin dropped. 'Snivellus was there?' he asked.

'In the entrance hall,' James sighed. 'I think he organized that little rampaging kill party to come after us.'

Peter moaned. 'What's his problem?' he asked.

Sirius snorted. 'It's February—nearly time for his bath. Little slimeball,' he muttered, earning a laugh from James. 'What's he playing at, anyway?'

Caradoc had returned. 'You talking about that Snape boy that's always following Lily Evans around?' he asked idly.

'What do you know about him?' James asked in surprise.

'Just what Alice tells me,' he muttered as he wiped sweat from his face. 'She doesn't understand it. She says Lily Evans is one of the most honest, kind and morally centered people she's ever known.'

Sirius frowned. 'What does she say about Snape?'

'That he's not,' Caradoc said flatly and they all laughed. 'But he certainly seems to hate you, James,' he pointed out.

'Yeah, well. He's probably looking to use this event to get even with me,' James said dismissively.

'For what?' Caradoc asked.

James laughed. 'I've got a list. Would you like it in chronological order, or alphabetical?'

Remus chuckled. 'Yes, they shall never be bosom mates,' he said coyly. 'But right now the pressing concern should be how we're going to contend with the Slytherins. They managed to take out that big group of Ravenclaws they had near Gryffindor tower.'

'We could try teaming up with the girls?' Sirius suggested hopefully. Out of the corner of his eye, James saw Peter shift uncomfortably on the ground.

'Even then, the numbers aren't exactly in our favor. And have you seen how the Slytherins are using their younger students as human shields?' Remus asked in a disgusted voice. 'I don't exactly like to go out of my way looking to criticize people, but that's pretty despicable,' he lamented.

Caradoc nodded. 'Doesn't seem very fair,' he said. 'But I think Sirius is right. We might be able to find some strength in numbers, and Alice and her friends seem to be as good a place as any to start.'

James grinned. 'Thought you weren't looking to make allies?'

'Well, I'm feeling much better about not having chosen to fight you lot now that I've seen what you can do,' Caradoc said with a chuckle.

'Cheers,' Sirius said as he hauled himself to his feet. 'Well? Shall we get a move on?'

'Where are we going?' Peter asked as Remus helped him to his feet.

Remus sniffed. 'I think our best way to rendezvous with the others is to cut back through the entrance hall,' he said to a chorus of groans. 'If we get there quickly enough, the Slytherins may not have made it back yet. It should be much easier for us to slip through unnoticed,' he declared.

'Unless they're expecting us to emerge from this side, in which case we'd be walking into a trap,' Sirius pointed out.

'How would they know that?' Peter asked worriedly.

James looked thoughtful for a moment. 'If they'd sent someone back to the entrance hall while we were all fighting in the staircase room,' he said slowly, 'they could have had people stationed down here and waiting for us.'

'That would require a presence of mind I doubt they possess,' Caradoc said shrewdly.

Remus sighed. 'Best to err on the side of caution. Let's proceed back to the entrance hall, but slowly,' he said to nods from everyone. They fanned out and began to walk.

'How many people do you reckon are still in the game?' Peter asked.

Sirius shrugged. 'No idea,' he said. 'If I had to guess, I'd say there was about a hundred Ravenclaws near Gryffindor tower. If most of them were eliminated, that's a pretty big chunk.'

'The first day is also a bloodbath, historically,' Remus added. 'If I had to guess, I would say we're down to at least half the student body.'

'Final five hundred, everyone!' James said sarcastically and they all chuckled.

Peter glanced around nervously. 'Has it occurred to anyone else that we haven't run into anyone since we got down here…?' he asked slowly.

Sirius frowned. 'I hadn't though of that until now,' he said slowly.

'What are you thinking?' Caradoc asked.

Sirius glanced back at James. 'Ever get the feeling that you're about to do a double take?' he asked.

No sooner were the words out of his mouth when a spell came hurtling down the hallway towards them. 'Split!' Caradoc roared as he dove to one side of the hallway. James grabbed Peter and hauled him aside as both Sirius and Peter lunged to the other. The corridor was suddenly alive with yelling as Slytherins appeared around the corner in an odd new formation—the younger, shorter students were in front casting shield charms while the older, taller students were in a line behind them casting offensive spells.

'Back the other way, run!' Sirius bellowed and they hastily backpedalled down the hallway. The Slytherins pressed forward, running after them.

'Peter, Remus, shields!' Caradoc instructed. Peter and Remus immediately obeyed, mimicking the position the Slytherins had taken and shouting 'Protego!' together. Caradoc, Sirius and James shouted out their hexes and jinxes, and the sounds of blasts, bangs and crackles filled the corridor as they ricocheted everywhere.

'Keep backing up, we're almost at a corner!' James shouted as they slowly shuffled backwards.

Caradoc twirled his wand and a massive hex blasted from the end of his wand, the same spell he had cast in the staircase room. It exploded onto the shield charms cast by the younger students, knocking several of them down. James and Sirius pressed forward, hurling stunning spells into their midst and catching several of them, their wands instantly evaporating into the air. An older Slytherin student cast a similar spell back their way, slamming it into Peter's shield charm. He went skidding backwards several feet, straight past James and Sirius and rolling to a stop on the ground. He couldn't seem to keep his grip on his wand. 'My arm is numb!' Peter yelped.

'Come on!' James said. 'Scatter!' he grabbed Peter roughly by the scruff of his neck and ran towards the T at the end of the corridor, breaking right as he did so. He cast a glance back to see Remus, Peter and Caradoc break left. 'Come on, Peter,' he panted and they sprinted onwards, taking another left and running down another hallway.

'We've lost them,' Peter moaned.

'Don't worry, they've got the map,' James said, although he was worried. If any of the Slytherins from the staircase room were coming from that direction, they could soon find themselves trapped.

They ran on for several minutes more and then came to a stop, panting as James glanced back around the corner from the way they had come. 'Where are we?' Peter asked.

'Somewhere underneath Gryffindor tower,' James sighed. 'We might be best off trying to find a staircase leading up there.'

'Aren't the Slytherins camped out there?' Peter asked worriedly.

James shrugged. 'Looks like most of them are after us right now,' he said darkly. 'Maybe they've abandoned their post?' he added in a hopeful tone.

Peter glanced around. 'Look, James…as long as we're alone…I have a small problem.'

'Oh?' James asked, raising his eyebrows. 'What's up?'

'It's about—well—it's about Caradoc. And the plan to rendezvous with the girls.'

'Spit it out, Peter,' James said as he leaned against the wall. 'What's on your mind?'

Peter turned red. 'Well—I know you three weren't—I—I made a backup plan,' he said hastily.

James' eyebrows ran further up his head in surprise. 'A backup plan?' he echoed. 'What sort of backup plan? Why didn't you mention this around the others?'

'I couldn't,' Peter said miserably. 'Caradoc and Sirius wouldn't have been happy, and I don't think you will be either. But believe me, James, I just wanted to be sure all our bases were covered,' Peter said hastily. 'So I formed an alliance with Mary.'

'What sort of alliance?' James asked, taken aback.

'Well, she told me stuff about the girls' plans…' Peter said timidly.

James stood up. 'And you told her about ours?' he asked in exasperation.

'No, no, that was never a part of it!' Peter said hastily. 'She and I are friends—and she told me the girls really wanted to eliminate us, badly,' he said quickly. 'Like, on sight—they didn't even want to give us a chance. So we agreed that if we ever ran into each other, she would…well, turn on them.'

James wrinkled his nose. 'Turn on them,' he echoed.

'Turn on them,' Peter repeated.

Realization was dawning on James. 'You mean the second she sees us…'

'…she's going to start hexing the girls. Marlene, Lily…Alice…'

'Caradoc won't respond well to that,' James said with a sigh. 'And you're right, neither would Sirius,' he added after a moment.

Peter looked frightened. 'Are you mad?'

James laughed. 'I'm surprised,' he said. 'That's pretty cunning, Peter. But I guess the rest of us could have stood to make some backup plans as well,' he said.

'So how do we get around this?' Peter asked. 'I can't exactly signal to Mary not to go about hexing the others.'

'Mary was actually okay with this?' James asked skeptically. 'Turning on her friends?'

'Well…it's a game, right?' Peter asked.

James snorted. 'How would you react if one of us did something like that?' he asked shrewdly.

'I'd be pretty hurt,' Peter said truthfully.

'Exactly. As much as I want to win, I don't want to see their friendship ruined,' James said. 'How did you get her to agree to that?'

Peter flushed again. 'I didn't have to do much convincing…I just said that maybe we could get her to the final five…you know…along with you,' he said.

'Oh Peter,' James muttered. 'You know I'm not interested in her, right?'

'That doesn't mean she's not interested in you,' Peter pointed out.

James sighed. 'Alright, well, this isn't the end of the world. We know what her plan is, now we just need to figure out a way to get her to not turn on them upon seeing us,' he muttered.

'What about Caradoc?' Peter asked.

'What about him?' James replied.

'What if we sent him in first? Alice might get the others not to hex him, and then he could let Mary know not to hex the others.'

James shook his head. 'I don't think it will go over very well if Caradoc basically fills everyone in on the little secret that you got Mary to play double agent against them,' he said with a small laugh. 'We're going to have to figure out something more subtle. Give me some time to think about that.'

'You're sure you're not mad?' Peter asked.

James clapped him on the back. 'You were looking out for the Marauders, Peter,' he said bracingly. 'Admittedly, that's more devious than I would have thought possible. But it was looking out for us.'

'Even the hexing Lily bit?' Peter said with a nervous laugh.

'That I may have had a problem with,' James said in an amused voice. 'The only person hexing Evans in this game is me.' He looked around. 'Come on, I think if we keep going this way we can find a staircase leading up to the tower.'

Peter looked worried again. 'Shouldn't we wait here for the others to find us?'

James shook his head. 'I think it's best that we keep moving. When they get a chance to look at the map they will, and they'll work on reconvening with us.'

'What if they've been eliminated?' Peter asked.

'Don't think like that,' James said firmly. 'Hopefully they're like you, Peter—some unexpected tricks up their sleeve.'


	38. Reduxes and Eliminations

38

James and Peter slowly made their way up the staircase. A spiral staircase, it seemed as though each step they took was blind—James was trying to see more with his other senses than he was with his own eyes. His heart seemed to pound in his ears, and he felt as if he were listening in between beats to hear if there were any voices above them.

They reached the top of the staircase, peering out into the hallway. James jerked back in—to his right, about a hundred yards away, was the portrait hole that would lead to the Gryffindor common room. Several Slytherins were camped out outside of it; to the left, the hallway turned sharply, leaving a blind corner that could prove treacherous.

'What are you thinking?' Peter asked in a hushed whisper.

James chewed his lip for a moment. 'I count about eight Slytherins down by the common room,' he said slowly. 'If we can pick off a couple from here and back down the staircase, we could lure the rest to us.'

'But?' Peter asked.

'But,' James went on, 'there's a blind corner right to our left. There could be more of them hiding that way.'

Peter gulped. 'So what do you want to do?'

'I guess we take our chances,' James muttered. He peeked around the corner again, looking to his right. He recognized Goyle as one of the group of Slytherins idly chatting away in front of the Gryffindor portrait hole. Something about seeing them all lounging in front of his dormitory made James angry. He pointed his wand, aiming for Goyle's face, and non-verbally cast a stunning spell. He then quickly aimed at each of the other Slytherins, non-verbally sending several more spells after it.

About ten feet from them, one of the Slytherins saw the spells and yelled. James watched as everyone turned and stood—several of the spells struck home, catching the Slytherins unaware and painting them in all manner of colours. Goyle and two others ducked out of the way just in time, but three was a far more manageable number than eight.

'This way!' Goyle bellowed and they began running down the hall.

'Get back!' James hissed and they quickly backpedalled down the spiral staircase and waited as the footsteps went clattering by. One set of them stopped at the top of the stairs.

'Think it came from here?' came a voice.

'Go find out,' came another voice that was growing more distant. Goyle and the other Slytherin must have decided to carry on around the blind corner, leaving this lone Slytherin to it. James and Peter raised their wands and waited as the Slytherin stepped into view. They quickly hit him with a curse, causing him to cry out.

'Run!' James called and they bounded up the staircase once more and took off in the direction of the portrait hole.

'POTTER!' shouted the Slytherin they had hit. 'POTTER'S HERE—' he carried on until he cracked out of the game. James glanced back in time to see Goyle and the other Slytherin come pelting back around the corner, but they were already passing their dormitory. It wouldn't be far too the entrance hall from here.

'Protego!' Peter squeaked from James' side and he heard the bouncing sound of a hex rebounding off of it. 'Where to now?' he asked desperately.

'Keep going to the entrance hall!' James panted. The archway leading into that hall was just ahead—the staircase leading directly down, or the balcony branching off in either direction. James could hear significant chaos emanating from it, and he heard Peter moan from his side. 'Shield charms at the ready. Make your way to the hallway closest to Ravenclaw tower, don't stop running! Here we go!'

'Right behind you,' Peter said miserably and they emerged into the hall. James broke right, sprinting along the balcony. He passed a duelling quartet of students—two Slytherins and two Gryffindors by the look of it. None of them paid him a second look as they ran by. He saw Edgar Bones fiercely duelling with Avery, and he wondered for a moment where Cadwallader was.

'Expelliarmus!' James called, and Avery turned to deflect the curse. His eyes widened when he saw James, but the momentary distraction allowed Edgar to stun him in the back, causing his wand to evaporate in his hand. Avery roared in anger and turned towards Edgar, grabbing him by the collar and cocking his fist to hit him.

'Hey, that's against the—' Edgar began but Avery slugged him, sending him rolling down the staircase.

James grit his teeth and changed course, barrelling into Avery with a stiff body check that sent him crashing to the floor. He glanced down the stairs and saw Edgar regaining his feet, shaking his head dizzily. 'You alright?' he yelled.

'Go, get out of here,' Edgar shouted back, nodding as he did and he began to stagger over to one of the first level hallways. James began running again, glancing back at Avery who was getting back to his feet. He began swearing at James, but the next moment he was gone—apparated out of the castle.

'Look out!' Peter yelled and James looked up in time to see a stunning spell hurtling towards his face. He dove to the ground and clambered back to his feet in time to see Mulciber roaring towards them.

'POTTER!' Mulciber shouted.

'Shut up, damn you!' James roared, firing a stunning spell back at him as he got to his feet. Mulciber deflected it and sent another curse flying James' way. He dodged aside and watched as it hurtled towards Peter, whose back was turned as he battled with a Slytherin second year. 'PETER!' James hollered. 'DROP!'

Peter fortunately obeyed and the spell sailed over top of him, striking the second year in the neck. James turned back to Mulciber and slashed his wand—they began duelling fiercely, Mulciber using an array of complex jinxes that kept James on his toes.

'Not so tough without your posse, are you, Potter?' Mulciber taunted.

James nimbly dodged a spell and ducked just as a Slytherin third year fired a stunner over his head. James hit the third year with a disarming spell and turned his attention back to Mulciber. 'Hark who's talking!' he shouted. The words were barely out of his mouth when Flint was suddenly there, and the two of them were attacking James in tandem. He was back pedalling quickly now, casting shield charms as quickly as he could to deflect their spells.

'PETER, A LITTLE HELP!' he shouted. Peter shouted back something unintelligible that James took to mean he was otherwise occupied. _Oh hell, _James thought. _This isn't good. _His back bumped into the railing and he spared a quick look—he was directly over top of the doors, and a rope hung from the ceiling that was meant to draw the curtains on the massive windows of the entrance hall. He grabbed it with one hand, and with one last disarming spell back at Flint and Mulciber, he allowed himself to drop.

He felt that familiar weightless glee that usually accompanied riding a broomstick as he swung through the air, high over the floor of the entrance hall. Some of the duelling students below froze to look up in slack jawed amazement as he reached out and grabbed the far side balcony, hauling himself over and crashing to the ground just as a hex from Flint struck the marble railing where he had been.

James began running once more, and a quick glance over showed that Mulciber and Flint were doing the same. They were roughly an equal distance away from the hallway that James needed to get to, but now James was scanning the hallway again for Peter. He was at the top of the stairs, duelling with—to James equal parts annoyance and amusement—what appeared to be a Hufflepuff in their first year. Unfortunately, Mulciber and Flint seemed to notice this at the same time, as Flint fired a hex at Peter's unprotected back once again.

'PETER!' James screamed in warning, but Peter was so focussed on his battle that he didn't hear James' cry or the spell rushing towards him—

'PROTEGO!' came the voice of Sirius Black, and a shield charm erupted into being behind Peter, repelling the spell back at Mulciber who dove for cover under the railing. James grinned in delight as Sirius and Caradoc came charging up the stairs once more, looking haggard but in one piece. It took only a moment, however, for James to notice who was missing.

But before James could say anything, Flint had noticed Caradoc. He fired a hex at him which the Gryffindor deflected and they began duelling fiercely. Mulciber tried to sneak a shot in, but Sirius deflected it and forced him to take cover a moment later by firing an impediment jinx at him. With Mulciber ducking, Sirius quickly helped Peter dispatch his first year.

'Honestly, Peter,' Sirius muttered hotly.

'It's the first years you need to watch for,' Peter said defensively as James arrived next to them.

'Where's Moony?' he shouted.

'Not now, go!' Caradoc shouted back. 'Get to the hallway!'

'Not before we repay a favour or two,' James said angrily and he leapt into the fray with Caradoc. The two of them pressed forward against Flint who was madly deflecting spells and casting counter curses back at them. After a moment, Mulciber re-entered the fray. James glanced back to see Sirius had dragged Peter over to the mouth of the hallway they needed to disappear down.

'Come on, Caradoc, we need to go!' James shouted.

'Not until I get Flint!' Caradoc hissed back.

Flint was laughing as they duelled. 'You're not still angry about yesterday, are you?' he taunted. 'It's not my fault you and your idiot friends wandered into our midst—'

'Shut your mouth,' Caradoc snapped, sending a particularly powerful curse at Flint. The latter blocked it, but the force of it sent him skidding backwards along the cold stone. Mulciber retreated, casting shield charms in quick succession as James and Caradoc pressed forward.

'James!' Sirius called. 'Come on! More Slytherins are coming!'

James glanced to the other side of the hall. From the direction of Gryffindor tower, another large throng of Slytherins were entering the fray. James could see Goyle at their head, just as Goyle pointed at him and they began making their way along the balcony.

'Caradoc, come on!' James yelled.

Caradoc slammed another massive curse out of his wand, forcing both Mulciber and Flint backwards. 'This isn't over,' he declared to Flint, and the run was on once more. James and Caradoc quickly retreated over to where Sirius and Peter waited. The two of them had taken up a defensive position and were casting spells at Goyle and his approaching throng of students. Mulciber and Flint had gathered some reinforcements of their own, and they were all hurling hexes at them as quickly as they could. The combined might of Caradoc, James, Sirius and Peter's shield charms was enough to repel them back as they made it into the mouth of the hallway.

'To the staircase!' Sirius gasped and they all ran, James covering their backs as the Slytherins began flooding into the hallway after them.

'Where's Remus?' Peter asked, but no one answered as they ventured deeper into the hallway and found the same staircase they had climbed last time, leading to the split in the hallway—right taking them to the room of the moving staircases, and left towards the base of Ravenclaw tower.

'Get up there, hurry!' Sirius panted and they obeyed. James stayed still for a moment, firing a quick succession of stunning spells at Mulciber, Flint, Goyle and their comrades. Mulciber dove aside, but two of his minions took the curses in the midsection, eliminating them on the spot.

'Got two of them!' James said as he bounded up the staircase.

Caradoc nodded grimly. 'Leave them to me,' he said and he descended the stairs, unleashing a flurry of curses and hexes back at the Slytherins, periodically ducking back around the corner for cover.

'Sirius,' James panted as he grabbed his friend's shoulder. 'Where the hell is Moony?'

Sirius sagged against the wall, sweat pouring down his face as he gasped for breath. 'Gone,' he croaked.

'What do you mean gone—?' Peter asked.

'I mean he's out!' Sirius snapped. 'Eliminated! Snivellus got him.'

James felt a surge of anger roar up within him. 'Snape eliminated Moony?'

Sirius glanced down the staircase. 'It gets worse,' he said miserably. 'He had the map, James,' he whispered. 'He had the damned map.'


	39. Realizations and Drops

39

They stood there in silence for several moments. Sirius stared at the floor, while Peter and James exchanged a worried glance. _Snape got Moony, _James kept thinking to himself. Even though the loss of the map was a damning blow to their chances in the game, that was all that kept running through his head. _Snape got Moony._

'How?' he asked after a moment. 'How did it happen?'

Sirius shook his head. 'It was so bloody fast,' he muttered. 'We were running from those Slytherin gits,' he said with a sigh. 'We were keeping them on the run well enough. Moony had the idea to go back to the moving staircases since they seemed to have doubled back,' he added bitterly.

'What happened next?' James asked.

'We got back to the stairs,' Sirius said in a hollow voice. 'Just like this one, Caradoc stayed at the base of the stairs to give us cover. I was in the middle, Remus went first and…they must have bloody well planned it, because Snivelly was waiting. The second Moony got to the top of the stairs he got lit up like a Christmas tree,' Sirius said angrily.

'And you know it was Snape?' James asked.

Sirius nodded. 'He came bounding around the corner a moment later—he very nearly got me, too. I wish I could say I'd gotten him…' he said between grit teeth. 'But Caradoc grabbed me and we hotfooted it down another hallway. We didn't stop running until we met up with you,' he said miserably. 'But not before I could hear Snivellus laughing about how cowardly we were.'

James' voice was surprisingly calm given how livid he felt. 'Don't worry about him,' he said evenly. 'We'll get him.'

Caradoc appeared suddenly, walking up to the top steps slowly as he wiped sweat from his brow. 'They fell back, probably to get some more of their friends,' he panted. 'We'd best be long gone before they come back. They're pretty well hell bent on catching you lot.' He stopped as he observed the hollow looks on their faces. 'This about Lupin?' he asked.

'Yeah,' Peter said dully.

Caradoc nodded. 'I'm sorry,' he said. 'I know the feeling. It's worse when they're caught by someone you hate,' he added.

'What's the story with you and Flint?' James asked.

'We have some history,' Caradoc replied, and James got the feeling that he was understating. 'But in the long run, this is just a game and you'll see Lupin again soon,' he added.

James sighed and nodded. As much as he was seeing red at the prospect of Remus being cast out of the game by Snape, he did his best to replace the image with one of him eliminating Snape from the running. The map was a secondary concern.

'So the base of Ravenclaw tower is just down this way, then?' Sirius said with a resigned sigh.

Peter looked uncomfortable. 'Maybe—ah—maybe we should plan how we're going to approach this,' he stammered.

'What needs to be planned?' Sirius said dismissively. 'Marlene's my girlfriend, Alice is Caradoc's sister. That should earn us some credit.'

Peter looked pleadingly at James, a look that did not go unnoticed by Caradoc. 'Something going on?' he asked in an even tone.

'Look—I—I don't want you to be angry—' Peter stammered. He froze under the looks of Sirius and Caradoc. Neither of their facial expressions were overtly hostile, but they were not very friendly. Peter stared at the floor. '.'

Sirius wrinkled his nose. 'Sorry, Peter, I don't speak idiot. You're going to have to slow that down.'

James cuffed Sirius in the back of the head. 'Easy,' he said firmly. 'The basic point is Peter made a side-deal with Mary.'

'A side-deal,' Caradoc said slowly.

James cleared his throat. 'Apparently the girls—and Frank, I guess—viewed us as their big competition and hatched a plan to eliminate us. On sight. Mary confided this in Peter, and Peter convinced her to turn on them the moment they laid eyes on us, thus catching them off guard and maybe even eliminating them all in one fell swoop.'

Caradoc raised his eyebrows at Peter. 'I underestimated you.'

'Hang on—you're going to eliminate my girlfriend?' Sirius asked incredulously, then his eyes went even wider. 'Hang on again—my girlfriend was going to eliminate me?'

'Sorry,' Peter said meekly.

Sirius let loose a string of expletives that were directed at no one in particular. 'You're the only one who wasn't part of this, naturally,' Peter pointed out to Caradoc who was watching Sirius with some amusement.

'Well, there is the old saying—all's fair in love and war,' Caradoc mused.

'Oh, this means war alright,' Sirius said fiercely. 'Marlene wants to eliminate me without a second thought, eh? Well good on you Peter,' he said clapping Peter on the back so fiercely that he nearly knocked him over. 'I can't wait to see the look on her face when she gets a hex in the back from McDonald—'

'Hang on, hang on,' James said quickly. 'We're trying to figure out a way to abort that plan.'

'Oh, the hell with that!' Sirius said in a stung tone of voice. 'Marlene wants to play tough, I can play tough. I say we let McDonald follow through!'

'And how does that work for our alliance with Caradoc, exactly?' James said calmly.

Sirius seemed to notice Caradoc again for the first time. His mouth worked for a few moments as he tried to think of a reasonable proposal, but he sagged, apparently defeated. 'Damn,' he muttered.

'I'm sorry,' Caradoc said.

Sirius waved a hand. 'Never you mind,' he muttered. 'I'll figure out a way to deal with Marlene…'

'Are you alright?' James asked hesitantly.

Sirius shrugged. 'Just a game, right?' he said, but there was no mistaking the hurt in his tone.

'What about you, James?' Caradoc asked suddenly. 'Aren't you and Lily…?'

'What? No,' James, Sirius and Peter all said at once and then they looked at each other in surprise. 'No, we're…nothing,' James said badly.

Caradoc smirked. 'Really? I hear tell of fireside talks late in the night…' he trailed off.

James' face felt suddenly hot. 'We talk—I don't know, is confidantes the right word?'

'If that's what you kids are calling it,' Caradoc said to a laugh from Peter and Sirius.

'My point is,' James said firmly, cutting overtop of them all. 'That Evans and I have no allegiance to each other in this. Heck, she pretty well said she wants to get me, so it wouldn't surprise me if this whole girls against boys thing was her idea.'

'Except for Frank,' Peter pointed out.

'Good luck separating her and Alice,' Caradoc snorted.

'And Frank's a pretty powerful ally for them,' James said. 'And hopefully for us if we're planning to join forces with them against the Slytherins.'

'Join forces with them? With Marlene? After…all this?' Sirius said in an exasperated tone.

'We don't have much choice,' Peter said quietly.

Sirius grit his teeth in frustration. 'Damn,' he muttered.

'So all of this begs the question,' James said evenly. 'How do we alert Mary to the fact that the plan has changed? So that she doesn't just start hexing the others like crazy?'

Peter cleared his throat. 'I suggested Caradoc go,' he said. 'But James asked how he would let Mary know without tipping off the others?'

'Yeah, we don't want to hurt our only _real _ally over there,' Sirius said angrily.

Caradoc rubbed his chin. 'I think I could get her alone,' he said after a moment. 'All of this is assuming Alice decides not to shoot _me _on sight, anyway,' he added with a laugh. When James, Sirius and Peter exchanged a worried glance, he shrugged. 'It's a possibility.'

'Try not to let that happen,' James said bracingly. 'We should get a move on before the Slytherins get back.'

'This way,' Sirius said, pointing and they began walking swiftly towards the end of the hall. James felt a pang once again as he thought of how useful the Map would be at this stage—they had no idea where Lily, Marlene, Alice, Frank and Emmeline were hiding. They could come around a corner and receive jinxes full in the face for all they knew.

Caradoc lead the way, with Peter in the middle and James and Sirius bringing up the rear. 'You alright?' James whispered.

Sirius shrugged. 'I have to be, don't I?' he said dully.

'Course not,' James replied. 'Speak your mind.'

'I already felt bad enough about Moony getting hexed right in front of me,' Sirius whispered dully. 'And now I find out Marlene was just going to hex me on sight?' He looked at James and shrugged again. 'I know it's just a game…'

'It feels like more than a game,' James said seriously. 'I know it does. So I understand what you're saying.'

'This just feels like war—between us and the Slytherins, you know?' Sirius said. 'Where's her head at if she's wanting to snuff me, when we should be close allies?'

James shrugged. 'It looks like the Slytherins got the whole school beat on that score,' he said. 'They're the only house that unified to the extent they did, and they've been mopping up ever since. They've treated this like a war,' he added, 'whereas Marlene and the others were treating it as a game. They were treating this as something fun…and come on, isn't it fun to eliminate your significant other?'

'I guess,' Sirius muttered miserably. He glanced at the others and then back at James. 'You don't think it's something more…well, serious, do you?'

'Like what?' James asked.

Sirius sighed. 'I don't know, like she wants to break things off again?'

'I doubt it,' James said firmly. 'I don't think Evans hates my guts, and she certainly wants to eliminate me. They're just being competitive. If they're still here, it means they've probably been relatively untouched by what's going on in the rest of the school…they might not even know what the Slytherins have been up to.'

'I guess,' Sirius muttered. He looked over at James and grinned suddenly. 'I eliminated Gudgeon.'

James laughed. 'When?'

'A couple of hours into the game,' Sirius said and he was gazing dreamily into the distance as if he was playing back the memory in his head. 'There I was, jogging along the corridor near McGongall's classroom, when who should spin into view but that kissy, slobbery little goit,' he said with a laugh.

'Did you get him right away?' James asked.

Sirius shook his head. 'Naw. Even when I loathe someone, I like a fair fight. We sized each other up and duelled.'

'Wow,' James said.

'He put up a sporting show of it, but he was no match for me,' Sirius said, puffing out his chest.

James laughed. 'I'm sure you beat him with a…a modest spell,' he said with a wink.

'Sod off,' Sirius said with a chuckle. He looked sidelong at James. 'Thanks,' he said after a moment. 'I appreciate the talk.'

'Oh you know me,' James said bracingly. 'I never miss an opportunity to spout off hot air.'

'Careful, you sound like Moony,' Sirius said and then his face darkened. 'Oh, I can't wait to get my hands on Snivellus…' he muttered. 'I have half a mind not to even mess around with these toy wands. Just get my hands on him and go to town.'

James snorted. 'Well be advised, he fights dirty. When we fought he pulled on my stinking hair.'

'What a prat,' Sirius said with a snort, and suddenly they were stopped. Caradoc had held up a hand and was listening intently. 'What's going on?' Sirius whispered.

'Voices, up ahead,' Caradoc said. 'Female, for sure. Could be them.'

James glanced at Sirius who nodded. 'This seems like the right area,' he said after a moment.

'Do you remember anything else about it?' James asked, trying to say it casually as though Sirius had actually been here as opposed to seeing it on a magical map that Caradoc wasn't supposed to know about.

Sirius rubbed his chin and then looked suddenly alarmed. 'Longbottom was guarding one side of the tower…although I can't remember if it was this side or the other side.'

'It was this side, Sirius,' came the voice of Frank Longbottom from behind them. 'Now keep your eyes front and your hands in the air—make any move to turn around, and it will be your last in this game.'


	40. Ambushes and Beatings

40

James cursed silently. He had absolutely no idea how Frank had managed to get the drop on them, and he was forced to stand there and hope that they were about to be spared. It was a good sign that Frank hadn't simply hexed them on sight, but with voices up ahead that likely belonged to Lily and the others, their outlook was bleak.

'Walk backwards, follow the sound of my voice. Do not turn around,' Frank said softly after a moment. They obeyed, backtracking somewhat absurdly down the hallway. 'Stop,' Frank said a few moments later.

'So…what happens now?' Sirius asked.

Frank chuckled. 'You know, I'm doing you a kindness—the girls would have started firing hexes right away.'

James glanced at Sirius sympathetically. He knew confirmation of what Peter told him about the girls' plans wasn't sitting well. 'So why haven't you hexed us yet?' he asked.

'Equal parts curiosity and compassion. Your fourth is different than I expected—hullo, Caradoc,' Frank said cheerfully.

Caradoc laughed grimly. 'Alright, Frank?' he asked.

'What happened to Remus?' Frank went on.

'Eliminated. Snape,' James said quietly. 'Look, Frank—we may not have much time. We want to propose a truce.'

Frank paused for a moment. 'A truce?'

'You were right about the Slytherins,' James pressed on. 'They've formed a whole house alliance and they've been taking apart the rest of the school since the game began. They eliminated nearly all the Ravenclaws, who were trying to hold up near Gryffindor tower. And we think they're going to come for you lot, too.'

'What makes you think that?' Frank asked after another moment.

Sirius snorted. 'Because we're not wannabe Death Eaters,' he said bitterly. 'They've made this personal. They've been gunning for us since the game started, and they'll be gunning for you next.'

Caradoc cleared his throat. 'We've seen them in action. They move in groups and they use the younger students as human shields while they move in on their targets. We're going to need some kind of strength in numbers to hold them back.'

'And how do I know this is the truth?' Frank asked after a moment.

'You're just going to have to trust us,' Caradoc said flatly.

Frank laughed quietly. 'That's it? I'm supposed to be moved by the eloquence of your single-sentence speech?'

James sighed. 'If you want to give me a few minutes, Frank, I can compose something much more epic—heartwarming, really, it would make you cry. But I'd rather not be standing around trying to convince you when the Slytherins get here.'

'You think they're coming now?' Frank asked.

'Yes, we do,' James replied.

There was a long pause. 'Alright, turn around,' Frank said after a moment. They did so and Frank waved his wand—the sounds of the voices talking up ahead vanished.

'What the—how did you do that?' Sirius asked in amazement.

'A charm of my own design,' Frank said with a smirk.

'No, I mean, how did you cast a charm on our surroundings? Everything's imperturbed, Moony said so…'

Frank grinned. 'Well, they didn't count on me being in the game, did they? These wands are simple enough to toy around with.'

'You know a lot about wands?' Caradoc asked in surprise.

Frank shrugged. 'Wandlore is a bit obscure, but it's not too difficult to follow. And these aren't real wands—they're replicas, so they're fairly easy to manipulate,' he said. 'I just had to crack mine open and toy with it a bit.'

'That sounds seriously advanced,' James said, unable to mask how impressed he was.

'Cheers,' Frank said with a grin. In contras to the sweaty and beleaguered appearance of James, Sirius, Peter and Caradoc, Frank looked rather pristine and untouched.

Peter looked nervous. 'If you figured that out, Frank…couldn't the Slytherins figure it out, too? And fire real curses at us?'

Frank shook his head. 'These wands don't allow for that. No matter how much someone toys with them, you wouldn't be able to fire an actual curse. All I needed to be able to do was use a charm on my environment, I don't think the game makers planned for that.'

'You're way too smart,' Peter said in amazement.

'He's right,' Caradoc added. 'There's seventh years who don't know half as much as you do.'

Frank was looking a little red now. 'Well, enough about that,' he said. 'We should go reconvene with the others. They aren't too far away, but you'll want to let me go first so we don't start a firefight.'

'Wait—' Peter said suddenly and everyone looked at him.

'Problem?' Frank asked.

Peter opened his mouth to reply when he was suddenly bulled out of the way by Caradoc, who shouted something unintelligible. The spot where Peter had just been was suddenly filled with curses flying by. James whirled to look up the hallway—a group of Slytherins was bearing down on them, and they were more plentiful in numbers than any group that James had seen yet.

'PROTEGO!' they all shouted as one, and curses rebounded back at the charging group. The younger students were in front, some of them were struck by their own curses, but others managed to repel them backwards with shield charms of their own. James began backing up quickly, alternating between shield charms and offensive curses.

'OI!' he heard Sirius yell, and he was pointing. James glanced ahead and saw a flash of greasy black hair through the crowd—Snape was there. And he wasn't alone; just about every Slytherin in the school seemed to be bearing down on them.

'Back up, now!' Frank roared as he fired a stunning spell that caught a fifth year between the eyes. He then deftly batted aside two stunners aimed for himself before returning fire.

James grabbed Peter by the collar of his uniform and started hauling him backwards. Sirius was fiercely firing curses and hexes, trying to Snape with one of them as he ducked in and out of sight amongst the midst of his friends. Caradoc was similarly engaged and it only took James a moment to place his target—Flint was hurling curses back at him, both seventh years appearing equal to the task of dueling the others.

James reached the bend in the hallway and shoved Peter around it. 'Go, run! Meet up with the others—try to tell Mary to not—' his words were cut off as he was forced to duck, a spell missing his head by inches. 'Just go, damnit, Peter, GO!'

Peter took off running down the corridor as quickly as he could. Sirius jumped around next, rubbing his forearm. 'Bloody hell,' he muttered. 'Flint shot some kind of hex—nearly broke right through my shield charm,' he said in amazement.

'Probably dark magic,' James hissed through gritted teeth. 'Come on—help me lay down some cover for Dearborn and Longbottom.' They spun around the corner and began firing jinxes in quick succession, yelling for the others to join them. Frank bolted around the corner and joined them in lining the Slytherins with curses, but Caradoc was still standing out and trying to hit Flint.

'Dearborn, come ON!' James yelled. 'They're almost on top of us!'

Caradoc spun his wand and hurtled a massive orb of energy down at the Slytherins, knocking several aside and painting them in color, but he remained firm, sending more jinxes Flint's way.

'CARADOC!' Sirius shouted over the din.

'CARADOC, COME ON!' Frank added.

'Light him up!' Flint yelled suddenly and it seemed that every Slytherin in the hallway aimed curses at Caradoc. James, Sirius and Remus did their best to hurl up shield charms but the spells broke through, peppering Caradoc with curses that colored his uniform, causing his wand to evaporate in his hands and he staggered backwards and tripped to the floor. Still the curses came, splattering him almost comically from head to toe in every shade imaginable. James felt a pang of sympathy—perhaps one of their strongest allies was now out of the game.

'CHARGE!' Flint roared triumphantly and the Slytherins began to run.

'Sorry,' Caradoc said lamely in a defeated voice. 'You'd better run.'

'Don't need to tell us twice,' Sirius said quickly.

'RUN!' James yelled and they took off running down the corridor. The three of them sprinted as fast as they could. James blindly hurled a shield charm over his shoulder as the Slytherins gave chase, rounding the bend in the hallway and firing curses at them. Sirius barely ducked on in time as it flashed by his ear, and he turned around and fired several stunning spells back at them. He nearly tripped as he did so, swearing and re-focusing on running forwards.

'Don't worry about it, I'll cover you,' Frank said calmly and he spun on the spot, running backwards as he fired a hail of hexes at the charging Slytherins. 'Expecto PATRONUM!' he yelled and a glistening silver fox burst from the end of his wand. James glanced back over his shoulder to see the fox run roughshod over the Slytherins—everywhere that the magnificent creature's legs touched, color exploded onto the Slytherins' uniforms and eliminated them from the game.

'Nicely done!' Sirius panted as they approached another bend in the hallway. They rounded the corner and James was suddenly hauled to the floor—Sirius had grabbed him and gone into a dive which ended up being a good call, as an errant spell soared over James' head and just missed Frank. James looked up to see Peter and Mary McDonald engaged in battle with four Slytherins. They had arrived in another hall which James knew lead down towards the dungeons, a massive stone staircase providing the way down. The sounds of battle could be heard from down below, and James knew at once that the Slytherins were trying to trap them in a pincer.

'Expelliarmus!' Mary shouted, catching a Slytherin fourth year in the groin. James recognized Mulciber as one of the Slytherins dueling them, and he advanced on Mary. In one swift move, he batted her wand aside with one hand and slammed his fist across her face with the other, sending Mary flying through the air and crashing to the ground in a heap where she did not move.

'NooooOOOOOOOOOO!' Peter yelled and he rushed at Mulciber, jumping on his back. James and Sirius charged forward, firing curses at Mulciber's allies as Mulciber reached over his shoulder and grabbed Peter, bodily hurling him into a wall. He backed up and pointed his wand at Peter's form when James hit him, tackling him backwards and away from Peter. James heard Sirius call out, and then they knew a momentary thrill of weightlessness as they hurtled through the air and James realized they had flown over the lip of the top of the stairs. With a crash, they hit marble and began tumbling down the stairs, each one seeming to pound James in a new part of his body. For what seemed to be an eternity, they rolled, crashed, banged and bounded down the staircase until they landed in a heap at the bottom. James' wand clattered away from his hand and he made to grab it when Mulciber grabbed him by the foot, and dragged him backwards. James clawed at the stone, but Mulciber used his incredible strength to hurl James through the air by his foot, sending him crashing into a suit of armor and to the ground.

'Potter!' James heard a cry and he looked up, stars in his eyes, to see a flashing mane of red hair bounding towards them. 'STUPEFY!' Lily Evans called, and Mulciber cast a shield charm. The force of Lily's stunning spell was so powerful that even through his shield charm, it knocked his wand from his hand and sent it skittering across the marble floor, but Lily's own wand was sent flying only a moment later by the force of the rebounding spell. Mulciber hesitated for a moment, sizing her up, and then grinned and advanced on her. Lily, however, looked supremely indifferent to the predicament she was in and held up a warning hand.

'Stop right there. I'm going to give you one chance,' she said coolly.

Mulciber laughed. 'For what? Mercy?'

'Of course not. To surrender,' Lily said.

Mulciber laughed again. 'You're funny. Tell that to McDonald.' And he advanced on her once again.

James went to haul himself to his feet, fearing for Lily's life, but he was stunned into frozen silence by what happened next. Mulciber got within two feet of Lily before her foot flashed upwards with such lightning speed that James almost wasn't sure it had happened. It connected with Mulciber's chin with a deafening crack that sounded like thunder. Lily then spun, her elbow crashing into his midsection and doubling him over. She drove upwards with her knee, gripping either side of his head as she did so, and smashed it with astonishing force into his nose with a sickening crunch that caused him to straighten up again. Lily then leapt into the air with a roundhouse kick that struck him straight across the jaw, and Mulciber flipped fully head over heels through the air before crashing to the ground a few feet away, blood streaming from his face where she had struck him.

Lily casually crossed the floor and picked up her wand, twisting it in her hand idly. 'Stupefy,' she said coldly and the curse struck the big Slytherin in the torso, but still he did not move—he had been knocked unconscious from the force of the repeated blows to his head.

James stared at Lily, and he was faintly aware that his jaw was hanging open. Lily strolled over to him and extended a hand. 'You alright?' she asked.

'I've never been more attracted to someone in my life, Evans,' James said as he took her hand and accepted her help to his feet. Once there, she shoved him playfully and he laughed, wincing in pain as his ribs throbbed painfully.

'Where the hell did you learn to do that?'

Lily smirked. 'Remember in our second year when you and Sirius asked how Muggles duel? Well, that's one way,' she said coyly.

James shook his head. 'Remind me never to get on your bad side again.'

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'And all it took was a demonstration of physical prowess? Maybe I should have used that on you earlier.'

The sounds of more crashes and bangs came from upstairs. Sirius and Frank appeared, Sirius hauling the unconscious form of Mary McDonald on his shoulder as Frank dragged Peter down the stairs, hexes and jinxes flying all around them as the Slytherins came charging after. 'RUN, YOU SONS OF –' Sirius began, a loud bang eclipsing the final word of his statement as Frank deftly deflected a curse aimed for them. 'RUUUUUUUUN!' he shouted again.

'Hold that thought, Evans,' James said as he grabbed his wand from the floor. 'Let's go.'


	41. Showdowns and Mistakes

41

James fired a hex up the staircase, catching a Slytherin second year in the face. Frank spun and cast another Patronus Charm, driving them back further still. This afforded them time to dart down a hallway, with Sirius in the lead as Mary was thrown over his shoulder. He ducked down into the corridor just as Marlene McKinnon was coming running up.

'What happened—?' she began.

Frank shoved Peter ahead of him into the hallway and cast a shield charm over the entrance. 'Time to talk later, right now we have to move—I think every Slytherin in the game is coming down the stairs!'

'Where do we go?' Sirius panted, accepting Marlene's help as she scooped one of Mary's arms over her shoulder and evened out the weight.

'Back to the entrance hall?' James suggested.

Frank shook his head. 'That's just heading back into a gauntlet.'

'We need to think of a plan—find some way to regroup—' Lily was saying.

James grit his teeth and glanced back out the entrance. The Slytherins were gathering, discussing their own plans loudly. 'Or,' he said, 'we quit running. Stand our ground here. I mean, it might be every Slytherin in the castle, but we're nothing to sneeze at.'

'Well, I think we've got just about every Gryffindor in the castle. And then some,' came the voice of Alice Dearborn as she and Emmeline Vance came running up, bringing behind them—James' heart surged with glee—Gideon and Fabian Prewett, along with Edgar Bones.

'Oh, thank God,' Lily breathed.

'Got a Slytherin problem?' Fabian said brightly.

'Step aside, you lot, we are professionals,' Gideon added and they stepped into the clearing as the Slytherins came flowing down the stairs. The two pointed their wands together, concentrating two curses into an enormous ball of energy which they then whipped forward, causing it to explode over at least eight Slytherin students, knocking them out simultaneously. With a devilish war cry, they sprinted into the midst of the students and chaos reigned.

James hesitated, looking at the others. 'Is this it?' he asked. 'We make our stand here?'

Lily was the one who looked back at him and grinned as she twirled her wand in her hand. 'Sounds good to me,' she said.

Sirius gently lowered Mary to the ground and stood up, smiling. 'You know I'm in,' he said.

Edgar nodded grimly. 'Let's do this,' he said.

'I want a piece of them,' Marlene growled.

'Ditto,' Alice said as she squeezed Frank's hand. He simply smiled and nodded his assent, and Emmeline hefted her wand as well, glancing down at Peter.

He looked at them nervously. 'Someone should stay with Mary,' he said quietly.

James nodded. 'We'll try to keep them off of you,' he said. 'Okay, everyone—anyone got a good rallying cry?' he said with a grin.

Sirius looked at them all and shrugged. He then ran out of the corridor screaming, his wand waving over his head. It took James a moment to realize that Sirius was screaming his own name at the top of his lungs. Fighting off a mad urge to laugh, James followed him and they were all off.

The room was in absolute chaos—spells flew in every direction from both friend and foe. The Prewetts were a whirling dervish of destruction. Six Slytherins were trying to take them down and they could not lay a finger on them. Lily quickly found herself engaged by two Slytherin third years and her wand flashed, her eyes alive with malice as she deflected the curses they tried to hit her with. Emmeline bobbed and weaved in and out of the crowd, sniping students unawares in the backs as she made her way through. Frank cast a Patronus charm and followed in his silver fox's wake, Alice right behind him casting shield charms for his protection. Edgar hit the stairs and began raining curses down on the Slytherins from his elevated position.

Sirius, for his part, was duelling a particularly thick fifth year until he locked eyes on a slender Slytherin boy across the room. James noticed who it was seemingly before Sirius did—Regulus Black. Sirius hurled a stunning spell at his opponent that caught him off balance and beelined for his brother. James went to cover his friend's back but was stopped a moment later as a curse whistled past his head. He spun to see who had cast it and found himself facing Severus Snape.

'I so hoped to catch you,' Snape shouted over the mayhem. 'Ready to be eliminated? Just like your friend Lupin?'

James chuckled as they began circling each other. 'Big words, Snivellus,' he taunted. 'I hear you were waiting around a corner to hex him as soon as he appeared. How masculine of you. What do you do for an encore, take candy from a baby?'

Snape's eyes flashed. 'You of all people should realize that running into the fray half-cocked is a sure fire way to defeat.'

'Funny, you're about to find out that challenging me head on is the same thing,' James said, and without waiting any longer, he slashed his wand. A rippling curse soared at Snape who spun on the spot, deflecting it right back at James. He jerked backwards, letting it soar by and he thrust a disarming spell as he did so. Snape cartwheeled out of the way, showing impressive agility. When he reached the apex of the cartwheel, his head almost touching the stone, he fired two stunners at James who dove, rolling out of the way. He came back up, swinging his arm around in a shield charm in time to stop a purple-flamed spell that Snape had sent his way, the force of which caused James' teeth to chatter.

He leapt to his feet and cast an Impediment Jinx that Snape was able to bat aside, and then a Confundus Charm that Snape dodged out of the way of. James was then forced to duck as a curse flew over his head from the side, and then he dove aside once more as Snape tried to capitalize on his momentary distraction by firing another purple-flamed curse at him. James leapt into the air, doing the splits and allowing it to soar underneath him. He fired another stunning spell before he even hit the ground, forcing Snape to duck behind a Slytherin second year who took the blast full in the face. Gideon Prewett and Flint suddenly flashed between them, duelling so fiercely that the air around them seemed to be hot with fire and electricity. Once they were out of the way, Snape cast another curse at James which James managed to deflect right back at him.

Snape cast a shield charm of his own and the spell rebounded back at James who countered the manoeuvre, and they did so over and over as the rebounding jinx gathered velocity with each bounce until it was but a long, glittering streak between them, the constant thud-thud-thudding of it striking their shield charms approaching the sound of a steam engine hitting its stride. James grit his teeth as he pressed forward, seeing Snape do the same through the blazing lights between them. He heard Snape yell out in exertion, the force of the rebounding curse reaching fever pitch, each of them waiting to see who would blink first.

Snape diverted his shield charm, directing the curse upwards with a blast like a canon. James hurled an impediment jinx at him that Snape managed to sidestep, and they duelled on, passing Sirius and Regulus who were engaged in a pitched battle of their own.

'I see Mother and Father finally threw down for some duelling lessons for you,' Sirius taunted. 'You're not quite the sack of rubbish that you were before.'

Regulus grit his teeth. 'Someone needs to be able to put you in your place!'

Sirius laughed as he deflected a curse that his brother fired at him. 'Right. Heaven forbid that a member of the Black family opposes a murderous tyrant.'

'You don't even know what you're talking about!' Regulus said hotly. 'You're just doing this to be different, so you think you're independent and special! If you really want to be those things, you need to embrace the changes that are coming!'

Sirius blocked another curse and snorted. 'Listen to yourself, you foolish little brat,' he snapped. 'You're advocating a new world order that is predicated on murdering innocent people. What sort of change is that?'

'You've just been listening to rumours—' Regulus said.

'RUMORS!' Sirius bellowed, slashing his wand so hard that even though Regulus blocked the spell, he was sent crashing backwards to the ground. 'RUMOR, was it, Regulus, when Rochefort kidnapped me? Broke my legs? My face? Rumour was it that our own cousin Bellatrix was there, that she tried to take several ounces of my flesh? Rumour was it, that Lucius Malfoy—your own friend—joined the Death Eaters immediately after finishing school? And tried to attack us on the train ride home?'

Regulus was trying to get back to his feet. 'That's just—taking out of context—' he began.

'Enough,' Sirius said fiercely. 'You can't see the forest through the trees, Regulus. I said it at Christmas, and I'll say it now—I really hope you're stupid enough to meet Voldemort. Because the second you've outlived your usefulness to him, he'll do us all a favour and kill you.' And with that, Sirius pelted his brother with hexes, splattering him with all the colours of the rainbow and more. 'Now get out of here.'

James deflected another spell that Snape had aimed for his head, dimly aware that it had caught another Slytherin fifth year in the back. The two of them were panting, exhausted, and were timing each other's curses now, trying to deflect and then quickly counter strike before the other party could muster a defense as they circled the chaotic chamber, periodically ducking or rolling to avoid errant curses that flew their way. Snape then sent a curse that missed James by a foot, but he still flinched to the side and allowed his eyes to follow the curse—right as it struck a Slytherin who was coming up behind Lily in the back.

James laughed between deep breaths. 'So that's how it is?' he called over the din. 'All of your talk about the Slytherins winning, how you don't care who wins so long as it's not me…and really you're trying to help Evans all along? That's touching.'

Snape snorted. 'Maybe your head is too thick to grasp it, Potter, but Lily is most assuredly NOT you,' he said with a waspish smile. 'And I've told you before, don't speak about things which you do not understand. You do not know me, and no matter how much you wish otherwise, you do not know Lily like I do.'

With that, Snape slashed his wand once again and their battle resumed. The Prewetts flashed by behind Snape, duelling three Seventh years at once. They passed Frank and Alice, back to back and hurtling spells at the surrounding Slytherins. James nearly collided with Emmeline as she weaved her way out from in between Sirius and Marlene, who bombarded Goyle with hexes until he was eliminated from the game, and still he pressed on. The noise in the hall was beginning to dim, more and more students being eliminated from contention.

James' arms were beginning to feel like dead wood, and he could tell from the strain on Snape's face that he must feel the same. Still they pressed on, slashing their wands, sending crackling spells just wide of one another. James dodged a hex that whistled past his face, missing by the narrowest of narrow margins. He swung his own wand upwards, sending a spell straight at Snape's face. Snape brought his arm up, the tip of his wand driving the spell up and over his own head with only a second to spare.

But James' follow up curse struck Snape straight in the midsection, and his wand—still held over his head—evaporated into thin air.

James instantly spun on the spot, looking for newcomers, but he found no Slytherins behind him. Sirius was there, grinning broadly. Frank and Alice, Marlene and Emmeline, Gideon and Fabian, and Edgar Bones—all were beaming as he turned back and realized that the battle against the Slytherins was over. He and Snape had been the last two battling. James briefly caught Lily's gaze—an odd expression was there on her face. He put that aside and turned back to Snape, who he knew must have had only seconds left.

'See you, Snivellus,' he said softly and with a loud crack and an ugly look, Snape cracked out of the game.

'Brilliant,' Sirius said with a laugh.

'You won?' came Peter's voice from the hallway and he and Mary emerged tentatively. 'The Slytherins are all gone?'

Edgar chuckled. 'Sure looks that way,' he said. 'That was amazing—what were we outnumbered, two to one? Three?'

'If you were looking at it in terms of magical skill, they were dreadfully outnumbered,' Gideon said with a laugh.

'So what happens now?' Frank asked evenly, looking around at them all.

'We could all duel, I suppose,' Sirius said tiredly.

Alice snorted. 'Can we take a short rest first?'

'Hear, hear,' Frank muttered.

Peter grinned. 'And you were worried we'd all kill each other,' he said to James, earning a curious look from Marlene.

'What do you mean?' Marlene asked.

James frantically gestured for Peter to remain silent, but the damning words came out of his mouth before anyone could stop him. 'We knew you were planning to hex us on sight, so Mary was going to catch you unawares. We didn't really know how to tell her to stop, but it all ended well, so everything's good, right?' he said happily.

James stared in slack-jawed amazement at Peter, a look that Sirius mirrored. The Twins and Edgar looked suddenly uncomfortable, as if they wanted to blend into the wallpaper. Frank merely frowned, Alice looked surprised and Emmeline looked worried.

'You—I—You WHAT?' Marlene shouted at Mary who flinched back under her gaze.

'Take it easy, Marlene, it was just a backup plan—' Mary said quickly.

'A backup plan? We're supposed to be friends! Is this about Sirius?' Marlene said hotly.

'What? Of course not—just calm down—' Mary stammered.

Everything seemed to happen at once. Sparks flew from the end of Marlene's wand and before anyone could so much as utter a word, she stabbed her wand at Mary, splattering colour over her uniform and causing her wand to evaporate. The shock of that had not even set in when Peter's curse splayed all over Marlene's face, causing her to stagger backwards as her wand blistered out of her hand. Sirius roared with anger, but it was Lily who turned her wand on Peter.

'Hang on!' James bellowed, swinging his wand up to cause a shield charm to erupt into being in front of his friend.

And he could only watch in stunned horror as Lily's spell bounced off of the shield charm and rebounded directly upon her, catching her straight in the chest.


	42. Decisions and Acquaintances

42

There was stunned silence for a moment. Lily's green eyes locked on James, a wide array of emotions flickering across her face in a matter of milliseconds. James felt his own mouth hanging open stupidly once again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that they were not the only pair stunned into silence. Marlene and Mary were staring at each other, Sirius glaring at Peter. Everyone seemed to burst into speech at once.

'Are you _kidding me, Potter_?' Lily shrieked in a tone approaching the level of a dog whistle.

'What the _hell, _Peter?' Sirius bellowed.

'You and me, outside, now,' Marlene was growling at Mary.

'Don't talk to her like that!' Peter shouted indignantly.

Lily was seething at James. 'Evans, I—it was an accident—' James stammered.

'I saved you! Did you forget that? I _saved you!_' she shouted, advancing a step on him. Remembering just how badly she had beaten Mulciber, James backpedalled quickly. 'And you knew about all of this? You knew Mary was planning to double cross us?'

'It wasn't a double cross—' Mary shouted.

'The hell it wasn't!' Marlene shouted back.

James glanced at Peter, silently cursing him for having opened his mouth. 'Not until earlier today, Evans, I swear—'

Lily threw her hands up in the air. 'That's right, Potter, I'm supposed to believe that you four _didn't _have some sort of plan. That makes perfect sense apart from the fact that it _actually doesn't!_'

'He's telling the truth, Lily,' Sirius said as calmly as he could in spite of the fact that he was glaring daggers at Peter.

'Evans, it's just—it's just a game, calm down,' James implored.

Lily's eyes turned into slits. 'Just a game?' she whispered. 'This is all just a game, to you? Just like Quidditch? You, Potter, are an arrogant little—'

And then with a loud crack, Lily disappeared. Silence met her disappearance, Mary and Marlene were gone as well. James, Sirius, Peter, Frank, Alice, Gideon, Fabian, Emmeline and Edgar were now the only players remaining in the game.

'Don't even look at me, Peter,' Sirius said angrily. 'I have half a mind to hex you right now.'

Peter looked miserable. 'You should,' he said quietly.

'Of course I should!' Sirius replied hotly.

'No, I mean you should—I need to be there—I need to try to fix this, Mary's on her own with Marlene and Lily right now.'

Sirius threw his hands up. 'Is that all you care about? Mary? What about us, you little git?'

'Sirius, that's enough,' James said quietly.

'No it bloody well isn't!' Sirius shouted.

Peter flinched backwards. 'A few hours ago you wanted Marlene eliminated from the game, remember?' he said quickly. 'Because she was planning on eliminating you? So why are you mad that she's out?'

Sirius' seemed to swell up, gritting his teeth. 'I wouldn't expect you to know anything about it, you stupid little—'

'Sirius,' James cut in more loudly and Sirius fell silent. 'He made a mistake. Let's not relive it,' he said.

'James, I need you to eliminate me,' Peter said quietly.

James sighed. 'Peter, I don't think it will help—' he began.

'Please,' Peter moaned. 'It's my fault. All Mary wanted to do was help us—help me, help _you_, James. I can't just leave her alone with Marlene and Lily when they're that angry.'

'Give him what he wants, James. You'll be doing him a 'kindness',' he said in a voice dripping with loathing, using the same words Frank had used earlier. 'Because you'll be sparing him from me snapping and smacking him.' Peter looked at the ground miserably, wilting under Sirius' fierce gaze.

James sighed. 'Take a walk, Sirius,' he said. 'Cool down.' When Sirius looked at him in indignation, James lifted his chin firmly. 'Marauder's always have each other's backs, Sirius.'

Those words seemed to strike something into Sirius and his face softened a bit. 'I—sorry,' he muttered and he walked off to the other side of the room. James turned his attention to Peter, whose watery eyes were staring at him in determined resolution.

'You're sure about this?' James asked.

'Yes,' Peter replied nervously.

'Okay,' James muttered and he flicked his wand, casting an Impediment jinx that struck Peter in the leg leaving a bright purple mark and causing his wand to instantly vaporize. Peter looked at the mark on his leg in mild surprise

'That didn't even hurt,' he said happily

James smiled faintly. 'Try and put in a good word for me with Evans, won't you?' he said.

Peter laughed shakily. 'I'll try. But when you find my body, don't believe the suicide note,' he said. James laughed in spite of himself and he was joined by the others. They were all still laughing when, only a few seconds later, Peter was gone.

'Well,' Edgar said after a moment. 'The final eight, everyone. Well done.'

James smiled faintly. 'Why am I unsurprised that it's us that's here?' he said with a laugh.

Alice winked. 'When you've got superior talent…' she trailed off and they all laughed.

'So who did finally take down Mulciber?' Frank asked idly.

James snorted. 'Evans,' he said. 'That's what she was talking about when she said she saved me.'

'When did that happen?' Sirius asked in surprise.

'When Mulciber and I fell down the stairs. I…' his mind wandered back to Lily laying a vicious beat down on Mulciber. 'I've never seen an arse kicking to equal that.'

Emmeline nodded knowingly. 'She's a very talented witch.'

'No, no, this wasn't spellwork,' James said. 'They both lost their wands for a moment and Lily beat the tar out of him.'

Alice's jaw dropped. 'Really?'

'Muggle style?' Sirius said excitedly.

'We've got to get ourselves to a Pensieve one of these days,' James chuckled. 'There's no way I could do it justice.'

'You see the look on Flint's face when I caught him?' Gideon asked as he clapped Fabian on the shoulder. 'It was priceless—eyes as big as dinner plates,' he said with a laugh.

'Sirius caught Regulus really good,' Emmeline said quietly.

Sirius chuckled. 'I'll be reliving James eliminating Snivellus for quite a while,' he said dreamily. 'And I get he feeling he's going to be as well,' he added with a vindictive smile.

Frank cleared his throat. 'So what happens now?' he asked.

'I really don't have it in me to fight any of you,' James sighed. 'Evans is going to kill me.'

Alice smiled reassuringly. 'She'll get over it,' she said. When James looked at her skeptically, she pursed her lips. 'Er—it may take a while, but she'll get there,' she added.

'Quick question. Is anyone here actually going for the money as the prize?' James asked. Everyone shook their heads.

'Smart money is on the surprise prize being finding out what Dumbledore's been up to,' Edgar said. 'It's a lot of money, but—Dumbledore's trying to stop You Know Who. That seems more important.'

Gideon and Fabian nodded their agreement. 'That's what we'd do,' Fabian said firmly.

'Me too,' Emmeline said quietly.

James locked eyes with Frank. 'You know which one I'd pick, James,' Frank said in a firm tone.

James cleared his throat. 'Well then, I have a proposition for you all.' Everyone looked at him expectantly and James nodded at Frank. 'I say we let Longbottom win.'

Frank goggled at him in surprise. 'Come again?' he asked.

'Look—we've all just agreed this isn't about money, we want to stop Voldemort,' James began. 'Frank has already worked harder than most Aurors have to try and do that. He's got contacts outside of the school giving him information, he's advanced his studies, he's probably the most gifted Defense student in the year and…' James looked at Frank sympathetically. 'He's got far and away the best motivation for doing what he's doing,' he added quietly. Frank looked at the floor. 'None of us could possibly know what you've gone through, mate,' James said. 'And I don't know about anyone else, but I think—no, I know that if someone has to win this thing, if one of us has to be the first to join Dumbledore in the fight, then I think the best person for that job is you, Frank.'

Sirius walked back into the circle. 'I'm with James,' he said. 'Frank's the logical choice.'

Alice gripped Frank's hand and smiled. 'I agree.'

Gideon and Fabian nodded at him. 'You were the best choice for Quidditch Captain, Frank,' Gideon said.

'So I think you'd make the best choice for the Champion as well,' Fabian chimed in.

Edgar smiled and nodded. 'You guys are all something else,' he said. 'I agree. Frank's the best choice to represent us. You will represent us, right?'

'Of course,' Frank said softly. 'You—you're all sure about this?'

Emmeline stepped up. 'You're the natural leader, Frank,' she said in a soft voice. 'It only makes sense that it be you.'

Frank looked somewhat overwhelmed as he looked at all of their faces. 'Thank you,' he said after a moment, and then his eyes locked on James'. 'Thank you,' he said again, and James was somewhat startled to see that his eyes were wet.

'Captain, my Captain,' James said as he stepped forward and shook his hand. Frank pulled him into a brief embrace and then they parted. 'Enjoy the spoils of victory, won't you?' he said and Frank laughed.

'Hogwarts Combat Champion does have a nice ring to it,' Alice observed. 'Very fearsome—should give a few Death Eaters some pause for consideration,' she added.

'So how do we do this?' Emmeline asked after a moment.

Sirius shrugged. 'I don't know about you, but…' he pointed his wand at James and fired a hex into his arm. 'I always kind of wanted to hit you,' he said with a grin as James' wand evaporated.

Gideon laughed and hexed Fabian. Edgar hexed Sirius, Emmeline jinxed Gideon, Alice caught Edgar and then Frank caught Emmeline. Everyone but Frank and Alice stood there, wandless, as they grinned at them. 'I just want a private moment with Alice before this all ends,' Frank said with a sheepish grin. 'Good luck with Lily, James,' he said.

'I'll need it,' James said dryly. 'Congratulations again.'

And with that, James knew the uncomfortable squeezing sensation that accompanied apparating, and the surroundings of the hall in the dungeons of Hogwarts disappeared from around him. He knew a momentary sense of disorientation and then his feet touched the ground.

The floor creaked under his feet as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. The smell of dust filled his nose and he squinted—it was dark, wherever he was. It occurred to him that he had never bothered to find out where they were set to apparate to—in his mind's eye, he had seen some sort of stage where they would all appear before a crowd of supporters and well wishers, applauding their efforts in the castle. Maybe Lily would be there, having calmed down in the fleeting moments since being eliminated from the competition. But he most certainly had not expected this—disorientation in the dank, dusty dark.

Something was wrong. There was no voices, no sound of Ministry officials or Hogwarts teachers, or even other students. James squinted—it was nightfall, wherever he was, and he was indoors. The moonlight shone through a window at the opposite side of the room as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness. It was like being in an old attic, and James' feeling of unease was growing increasingly by the second. There was no way that he was supposed to apparate into a place like this upon leaving the castle.

'Hello?' James said quietly, looking around as he walked towards the window, his feet creaking on the floor as he did so. 'Is anyone here?' he added a bit more loudly as he arrived at the window, looking out. He was in an unfamiliar setting, a small village nestled into the mountains, but the mountains themselves looked somewhat familiar.

But that only served to further James' feeling that something was very, very wrong. He was nowhere close to Hogwarts, and that was where he was supposed to have gone, he was sure of it. 'Hello?' James called again more loudly.

A sound met his ears from the corner of the room—the sound of a match striking against a rough surface, and a small flame appeared in the corner, clutched in a hand that raised the match to a face. It lit a pipe hanging out of the holder's mouth, and the firelight caught another surface, causing it to glint in the darkness. James felt his insides run cold as the whirring, magical blue eye locked on him just as the match went out, plummeting them into darkness again.

'James Potter,' Gilles Rochefort growled in a gravelly voice. 'How nice it is to make your acquaintance once again.'


	43. Plots and Revelations

43

James stood rooted to the spot. Every part of him hoped, wished and prayed that what he had just seen and heard was some cruel trick that his own mind was playing on him—that maybe he had fallen asleep, or been knocked unconscious upon leaving the castle and that this was all some horrible nightmare. But then the sound of boots landing on the creaking floorboards met his ear, and as if walking out of the swirling depths of James' own imagination, Rochefort stepped slowly into the moonlight that glinted through the window.

'Why Potter,' Rochefort growled, his voice the only major difference from James' nightmares where it still possessed its silky menace, 'you look surprised to see me.'

James backed up a step as Rochefort continued walking forward, an amused expression on his face. 'You could say that,' James finally managed after a moment, his voice nearly failing him on account of the fact that his throat had gone bone dry.

'You might be wondering how this was possible,' Rochefort rasped as he walked over to the window, looking out over the mountains and the small village below. 'I don't mind telling you that it was incredibly difficult. But the payoff, Potter,' he said with a gargling chuckle. 'The payoff was set to be oh so dreadfully sweet. I had help, mind you—the Ministry of Magic so unwittingly helped me hatch the perfect plan.'

'How?' James asked.

Rochefort laughed again, the sound like a dog growling. 'Even I—in my wildest, most blood soaked fantasies—could not have dreamed a scenario so perfect,' he said. 'A scenario where you would be apparated right out of the castle with no wand to defend yourself. You see, you can't apparate in or out of Hogwarts—but for this little competition, the charm was lifted to accommodate your little uniforms once you had been eliminated from the game. All it took was altering the charm on your uniform…to change the location that you would apparate to. And that was simple enough, all I needed was someone on the inside.'

These words triggered something in James' mind—he still had a chance. Someone high in the Death Eaters' ranks had been slipping information to Professor Fletcher and the Ministry all year. James silently hoped that they knew of his predicament now, and that somewhere—somehow—help was on the way. 'You have someone on the inside at Hogwarts?' he asked after a moment.

'That surprises you?' Rochefort said. 'We have people everywhere, Potter,' he added in a quiet voice. 'Positioned to strike on a moment's notice. And that's what I offer you tonight—a preview of the coming events,' he said, delighted as he swept his arms out around him. 'Have you come to recognize just where we are?'

James glanced out the window. 'No, truth be told,' he said.

'Why Potter, we are in Godric's Hollow,' Rochefort said softly. 'Only a few streets away from the place you call home. The place I visited only months ago when I helped to extinguish the lives of thirty odd Muggles—but you knew that, didn't you? You and that filthy little Mudblood rushed off to tell that fool Dumbledore what you guessed, that it was a symbol of an impending attack on her worthless muggle family.'

James felt the blood drain from his face. 'How do you know that?' he asked.

Rochefort ignored him. 'And imagine your surprise, along with that filthy little Mudblood girl's, when that Muggle loving fool already knew not only that the Muggles had been attacked, but that the Mudblood's family was in danger?' Rochefort said with relish. 'How could he possibly have known? How could Dumbledore have known not only that, but also known the night that the Inferi attacked Hogsmeade that there were Death Eaters waiting to attack his school? How? I ask you, James—it's alright, you can answer,' he said with a grin.

'I have no idea,' James whispered, fearing what Rochefort was about to tell him. That his one hope was gone.

'None whatsoever?' Rochefort said in a menacing tone. 'Come, come, Potter—we were only just a moment ago discussing people on the inside…surely, it was only a matter of time before it went both ways?' he said, gesturing to the skies as if he were at the center of an auditorium, talking to an audience. 'Surely, the Dark Lord could not possibly exercise such control or influence over his followers so as to prevent them from turning upon him?' he laughed.

James grit his teeth. 'What did you do?'

'Whatever do you mean?' Rochefort asked expectantly.

'To the person who was passing us information—what did you do to them?' James asked fiercely.

Rochefort laughed. 'Oh, Potter,' he said with a sigh. 'Poor, simple Potter. The Dark Lord knows…the Dark Lord _always _knows. You do-gooding little children are so painfully easy to manipulate. So dreadfully, stupidly optimistic that there is good in everyone. It's Dumbledore's influence, really. His great, supposed love—the all knowing, all saving power—will save you all. Surely it must have been someone who was on your side, someone sympathetic to your aims, someone who realized that the Dark Lord's way was misguided…surely, this couldn't have been _planned._'

And just like that, the shoe dropped. James' mouth fell open and Rochefort laughed.

'Ah yes, realization comes to you now, at the eleventh hour,' Rochefort said with glee. 'Your allies only know what _we wanted_ them to know!'

'But…how? Voldemort—' James ignored how Rochefort hissed when he said the name, '—was furious with you for failing to kill me. You were supposed to have fallen out of favor with him.'

Rochefort regarded James for a moment. 'Fascinating,' he breathed. 'You are better informed than I thought. But we'll get to that in a moment…yes, it was true. The Dark Lord was most displeased with me.' And now a dark look passed over his face. 'But it was my own doing, Potter. You see, you unhinged me—yes, it's a compliment, feel free to bask in that for a moment. I became so distracted, so consumed by you that I lost sight of the Dark Lord's plan. I did terrible things—great things, mind you—but terrible. It very nearly cost me my life, but in those moments when I thought it was all over, I found clarity. I found a way to restore myself in his esteem. The plan was so simple, so elegant. And really all it involved on our part was the minor risk of some peons such as Lucius Malfoy. Yes, we floated that information to your fabled rat Mundungus Fletcher. We did so intentionally, building up a trust and rapport with the Ministry so that our word would be taken as gospel.'

James wrinkled his nose in confusion. 'But why?'

'As I said before…the payoff. Tonight represents the culmination of a year's worth of effort and planning, and you are the guest of honor. You have a front-row seat to the main event.'

'What main event?' James asked.

Rochefort laughed in that raspy gargle again. 'This was the plan that gave the Dark Lord pause enough to spare my life. A chance for redemption! The Ministry of Magic has allowed itself to be played like a fiddle by their supposed inside source,' he chuckled. 'Tonight, they have received one more tip. One more piece of information that we know for a fact that Minister Bagnold has fallen for, and sent all of the Aurors available to her to deal with.'

'You're setting a trap,' James said. It was a statement, not a question.

'Very good,' Rochefort laughed, clapping his hands. 'As we speak, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is mobilizing to arrive where they believe a meeting will be occurring between the Dark Lord and his closest followers, one of which is this presumed 'source'. They think they have an inside man, and with the element of surprise, they intend to take down the most powerful Dark Wizard of all time. But that will not happen—no, tonight, the Dark Lord will show the Ministry of Magic just how painfully short sighted they are. You have already seen, Potter, some of the weapons at our disposal—the Inferi in Hogsmeade were just a taster, a precursor of what we had planned. Tonight we unleash all manner of hell on earth upon the Ministry of Magic, and once every single man and woman wearing an Auror's uniform has had the life crushed from their broken skulls, there will be nothing standing in the way of the Dark Lord stamping out the infidelic faint hopes that you and your pathetic little band of friends have come to represent!' he snapped.

James swallowed grimly. 'So at the end of the day, it's just common murder.'

'It will be _exceptional _murder, Potter,' Rochefort whispered. 'Today I have proven—once again—that I can outwit and outthink the best and brightest that the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts' school combined can provide. I have slipped you through the very fabric of protection that they provide not just once, but multiple times! Imagine how painfully easy it will be to get to you, the Longbottom boy, the Dearborn girl and that Mudblood when the Ministry has no protection left to offer? Because every single Auror they possess is dead?'

'You'll never get away with it. Dumbledore will stop you,' James said evenly.

'Ah yes, you love putting your faith in heroes, don't you?' Rochefort mused. 'Much like your father. He was your hero for a time, wasn't he? Quite the thorn in my side in his day—but you've noticed changes, haven't you? He seems older…more tired…slower…less powerful than he used to be.'

James stared at Rochefort, doing his best to fight off the dread building within him.

'I mean—if the fabled Mr. Potter, capital M, capital P, was still on top of his game…would I have him here?' Rochefort mused and he flicked on the bare light bulb in the center of the room. James gasped as he saw the unconscious forms of his parents lying in the corner, bound magically by ropes and gagged. James lunged forwards, crying out their names but he was sharply backhanded across the face by Rochefort and sent crashing backwards onto an old rocking chair in the opposite corner.

'I'm going to carve the heart out of you tonight, James Potter,' Rochefort said. 'You are going to watch the fall of not only the Ministry of Magic, but your parents. I am going to rip and tear at them until they—and you—are begging me to kill you. And then, only then, when I am satisfied that your hearts have been crushed beyond all manner of hope, will I snuff out your meaningless little existences in the name of the Dark Lord.'

'I'm going to kill you, Rochefort,' James said angrily. 'You hear me? I don't care if I die doing it, I don't care what you throw in my way. I am going to _kill you!'_ he screamed the last words which seemed to echo off the walls around them.

Rochefort laughed, his hand flashed out again, striking James incredibly hard in the chin. He shook his head, seeing stars as he did so. His ears were ringing, but he could faintly make out the rasping sound of Rochefort's laugh. 'You already had your chance. Don't you remember? We played that game already, Potter…and you lost.'

'If you've done them harm…' James said threateningly.

'You'll what?' Rochefort said with a loud, sarcastic laugh. 'You'll attack me with your fists? I brutalized you last year in that respect already, or have you forgotten? Have you built it up in your incredibly egotistical little mind that you actually stood a chance against me? That the only reason you walked away from that battle wasn't due to catching me by surprise, and the incredible luck of not being sent to Azkaban?' he snarled.

James laughed hollowly. 'You're one to talk about ego,' he said. 'You wouldn't be standing here if that spell had worked.'

'But it didn't, and I am,' Rochefort said. 'A testament to your enduring failure, same as your parents lying on that floor,' he hissed and James felt red hot anger boiling inside of him. But Rochefort chuckled as he moved towards the window once again. 'Any minute now, every Auror available to the Ministry will surround that building at the base of the hill. And then our trap will be sprung.'

Rochefort waved his wand and it felt as though a magical hand had grasped James' spine, straightening him up into a standing position and forcing him over to the window. With a series of loud cracks, James saw the shapes of many Aurors appearing around a large, boxy dwelling by the base of a hill just as Rochefort had described. 'They do not realize,' Rochefort hissed, as more and more of them arrived, 'they we have cast an anti-apparition jinx. They can apparate in…but they will not be able to apparate out.'

James grimaced. 'You think you can just take on a hundred Aurors by yourselves, can you?'

'Merlin's beard, no,' Rochefort laughed. 'We needn't sully our hands with such matters. No, we have enlisted some—ah—outside help to that end.'

More and more Aurors were appearing in the distance. There were easily over a hundred now, and James could see no indication that they were aware of a trap—they were singularly focused on the dwelling in front of them. He wanted to shout out, to warn them—but even if he could have gotten words out, they were too far away. Rochefort's plan, to have him watch helplessly as they were lead like lambs to a slaughter, seemed too perfect. But how was this going to play out?

The first tremor almost slipped James' notice, only slightly rattling the window in front of him. The second was much louder and larger, shaking the window entirely. James looked up at the ceiling as dust rained down from the old roof and fell onto his head—and then an ear-splitting roar shook the night, and then impact tremors were suddenly plentiful, close together and almost right on top of each other. James looked out the window in stunned horror as giants—full on, angry giants—crashed through dwellings on either side of them, stomping through the roofs of houses and smashing streetlights and knocking over fully grown evergreen trees as they stampeded their way towards the building where the Aurors had begun to turn at the sound of the rampage heading their way.

'The Ministry of Magic falls tonight, Potter,' Rochefort said with a laugh.


	44. Desperation and Swords

44

James watched in horror as the carnage unfolded before him. The Aurors were taken completely by surprise, firing all manner of hexes and curses at their enormous attackers, but the spells merely seemed to bounce off the giants. James watched as one of the giants swung a massive club which cleaved a path through a group of what must have been ten Aurors, launching them through the air with what James could only imagine was a sickening crunch. Even from their safe vantage point, James could hear the roars of the giants, the screams of the Aurors, and the cracking, banging and popping of desperate wand work being performed in self defense.

Everything was lost. The Aurors were hopelessly outmanned, underprepared and unable to retreat. As far as James could see, the plot was foolproof. If this was indeed every Auror that the Ministry had at its disposal, James simply could not see how any of them would escape.

_Giants, _James thought. _Unbelievable…_

Rochefort was smiling maliciously. 'The giants, of course, could never have ended up on the Ministry's payroll. Too thirsty for blood, you see. The Dark Lord was able to offer them a very constructive outlet for that bloodlust…and you can see the fruits of our labor now. You see, Potter, the Ministry has always been too painfully shortsighted, too frightened and weak to take what is rightfully theirs. The Dark Lord merely seeks to expand our minds and horizons, to establish Wizarding dominance across the world. All who would oppose us, all who would attempt steal what is rightfully ours, like those thieving Mudbloods…they will all end up as mere ants crushed under our boots.'

And just like that, a cool calmness spread over James. The word _mudbloods _seemed to snap him back out of watching the nightmare unfolding before him and it delivered him back into his body with that sense of purpose that precipitated a fight for his life—a feeling he was beginning to get all too familiar with. He kept his eyes fixed on the window, all too aware that Rochefort was watching him carefully, delighting in his horror at the events unfolding outside. But now, James' mind was racing.

_I need to get help—I need to get away, I need to get my parents out of here. I have no wand. How am I going to do this…?_

They were in an empty house, James knew this much. Rochefort also had the only wand. James was still under aged, and thusly still had the Trace upon him. If he could get Rochefort to cast a spell…but that would be incredibly dangerous. There was nothing stopping Rochefort from simply killing him on the spot if he tried anything, and then it wouldn't matter if the Ministry was aware of where he was. And even if the Ministry did become aware, who would be available to come to his rescue?

_Well, right now it's the only chance you've got, _a voice in the back of his head said quietly. _So make him angry. But not angry enough to kill you._

'You see now, Potter, how futile it is to resist in the face of the Dark Lord's wrath?' Rochefort rasped quietly.

James turned his gaze evenly to Rochefort and raised an eyebrow. 'So this is your big plan? All of this was your idea?' he said in the most irritating tone he could muster.

'Oh yes,' Rochefort said in a satisfied tone, although he frowned at James.

'So let me get this clear in my head. You hatch this brilliant scheme that takes an entire year to unfold. And then at the climactic moment, your job is what? Babysitting a teenager?' James asked.

Annoyance flashed across Rochefort's face. 'How dare—' he began.

'Same old Rochefort,' James said with a chuckle. 'You really don't get it, do you? You called Malfoy a peon, but you're a peon as well—you're all just chess pieces in the eyes of Voldemort.'

Rochefort's fist lashed out, striking James across the face and sending him stumbling backwards onto the floor. 'Enough,' Rochefort snapped. 'I have grown tired of your lip, Potter. You stand before me on Death's Door, you ought not to make me throw you through it!' he said fiercely as he hefted his wand in his hand.

James laughed. 'Then what are you waiting for, you coward?' he taunted. Rochefort's human eye blazed as James hauled himself to his feet. 'Go ahead and do it. You have me at your mercy—or is your lust for theatrics going to let me slip through your fingers again?'

'Again?' Rochefort snarled, stalking towards James and for the first time, James noticed he was walking with a limp. 'You only escaped last time, Potter, because I never thought you would so something so abysmally stupid as to cast an Unforgiveable Curse!'

James stepped forward so he was nose to nose with Rochefort. 'No, the only reason I escaped was because _I _thought of something that _you _didn't. The only reason _you _are here is because I have a shred of decency in my soul, and I couldn't bring myself to kill even a miserable, stinking sonofabitch like you!' James shouted.

The blast from Rochefort's wand was like a canon and James was hammered across the room. The air seemed to leave his body with an audible whooshing sound as he crashed straight through the wall at the far end of the room, raining down splinters upon his unconscious parents as he did so. James landed on the ground with a heavy thud and found himself tumbling down a staircase. He landed in a heap at the bottom and shook the cobwebs from his vision, looking up the staircase as Rochefort appeared at the top and slowly came stalking down it.

'Very well, Potter,' Rochefort said in a deadly tone. 'If you have grown tired of watching the show I have prepared for you, I will be only too delighted to snuff out your pitiful existence.'

James got to his feet. 'Go ahead,' he taunted. 'I can die happy. Here you are, Voldemort's supposed top lieutenant, stuck on the sidelines during the night the Ministry falls. How the mighty have fallen.'

'SHUT UP!' Rochefort screamed and his wand lashed out again. James had expected this at some point, but was still unprepared for the blinding pain that accompanied the Cruciatus Curse. Every inch of his body screamed in pain, all conscious thought was wiped from his mind. He was not even aware of how he was thrashing pitifully on the floor before Rochefort. A few moments that seemed like an eternity later, the pain stopped and James lay, panting on the floor. 'Where's your lip now, Potter?' Rochefort taunted. 'You don't want me to do that again, do you?'

James coughed as he sat up, aware that tears were streaming down his face. _Keep him talking, _the calm voice in the back of his head told him. _Keep him talking for as long as you can._

'That…all you've got?' James grunted.

Rochefort's human eye flashed again and James was suddenly launched through the air and through another wall. The old house seemed to rock back and forth with the force of it as James landed heavily on a kitchen table which broke under his weight, sending him crashing to the floor. 'I am the Dark Lord's right hand man!' Rochefort said forcefully as he stepped through the large, James-shaped hole in the kitchen wall. 'Far from fallen, Potter, my star is on the rise! After tonight I will be held in an esteem above all the other Death Eaters! And you, Potter,' he said with a laugh. 'You stand before me a broken, pitiful false idol. Untouchable Potter, they dared to call you,' he said, his nostrils flaring as he said it.

'That must have burned,' James grimaced as he got to his feet. 'You hated it, didn't you? You said so yourself—I unhinged you. How terrible was it, Rochefort, watching the world celebrate a teenager that's escaped you over and over again?'

'ENOUGH!' Rochefort screamed and James was sent flying again. He crashed into a wall, but this one did not give, for it was made of concrete. It felt as if he had just been stomped on by a giant as he crumpled to the ground once again, and he knew only a moment's relief before he was struck once more with the Cruciatus Curse. He writhed in agony, certain that he couldn't take anymore, sure that death would welcome him into its arms before it stopped once again. He panted, dust flying away from his face as he exhaled onto the cold stone floor of the base level of the house.

'So, is that all?' Rochefort taunted in a quiet rasp. 'Has little bitty Potter had enough?'

James looked up and with all the strength he could muster, pulled his face into a smile. That alone sent Rochefort into a seething fit of rage. The Dark Wizard stomped over to James and grabbed him by the hair, bodily hauling him off the ground and slamming him against the wall. 'It would appear, Potter, that your skull is simply too thick to penetrate. Perhaps more conventional means of breaking you are in order,' he snarled and he was dragging James back through the house towards the staircase and back up to the next floor. He hurled James across the room, sending him crashing into an old mirror which rained down glass upon him.

'Now, we have some fun, Potter,' Rochefort snarled. 'You get to pick which one of your parents dies first.'

James felt his blood run cold as Rochefort kicked his father in the side, causing him to cry out back into consciousness. 'DON'T—' James yelled, but a moment later he had done the same to his mother. Anger surged within him, but it was replaced by a lurch in his stomach as his parents locked eyes upon him, realizing not only their predicament, but that their son was with him.

'You unimaginable bastard,' Mr. Potter seethed from the floor. 'Let him go!'

Rochefort ignored him, instead looking at James with a maniacal grin. 'Yes, Potter. Now you see where your unbridled stupidity gets you?' Rochefort said with relish. 'You have allowed your silver tongue to dig not only your own grave, but the graves of those you care about the most! So CHOOSE, Potter! Choose which one of your parents gets to be killed in front of you first!'

'James, it's alright—' his father said from the floor.

'Pick me—' his mother said.

James shook his head as he got to his feet. 'Don't,' he croaked. 'Just kill me…please.'

Rochefort laughed. 'Oh, that time has come and gone, Potter. Not the killing you part—I will surely be killing you in a few moments, but you yourself have convinced me to have a little fun first. So pick which one of them gets to die.'

Rochefort turned his attention back to James' parents and James felt lost. There was no hope—no one was coming, his attempts to draw attention to them had failed. He stared down at his feet into the shards of the mirror he had shattered when something caught his eyes, causing first confusion to flit across his face, but then his mouth fell open as his heart leapt into his chest—in the reflection of one of the shards, something red glimmered. James blinked and he realized it was a ruby, encrusted in the hilt of—

James bent down, looking up at Rochefort who had turned back once again to Mr. and Mrs. Potter, delighting in their terror at the situation. James reached his hand down as nonchalantly as he could and it sifted through the shard of the mirror as though it were water, and he hauled his arm back, bringing out of the shard with him none other than the Sword of Gryffindor. James saw his father's eyes widen, but then he blinked and his poker face was back on. 'Well, Potter?' Rochefort taunted. 'Who will it be? Mummy or Daddy?'

But James was already moving. He rushed across the room, throwing caution to the wind as his feet slammed into the floor below. Rochefort turned at the last moment, an amused look on his face as he clearly expected James to simply be rushing him, never dreaming that he might have gotten his hands on a weapon. James was only feet away as Rochefort lazily raised his wand, but then his human eye and his whirring mechanical one fell on the sword in James' hands and his mouth opened in stunned amazement. It was still like that as James swung the sword upwards with all of his might, screaming out in fury as he did so, and neatly sliced the arm of Gilles Rochefort off at the elbow, sending his wand hurtling into the air as Rochefort screamed out in agony.


	45. Fights and Crescendos

45

Blood sprayed all over James' face as Rochefort howled like a wounded animal. Blinking blood out of his eyes, James tracked the wand's movement through the air as it spun above him. He spun, diving after the wand with the sword dragging in one hand as he reached out to grab it. But he was stopped short as Rochefort's boot slammed down on the back of his heel, cracking it painfully and causing James to cry out as he crashed to the ground, the sword clattering away out of his grasp.

Rochefort was on top of him, his one remaining hand closing around James' throat, cutting off his air. 'I'll choke the life out of you, you sorry little—AAAARGGH!'

Mr. Potter had gotten to his feet and kicked Rochefort in the side of the head, sending him rolling off of James. His hands still tied behind his back, James' father lunged and landed on top of him like a beached whale. Rochefort batted at him with his stump and his good arm as James looked around hurriedly for the wand once more. He saw it near the top of the stairs and saw his mother inching towards it. James hauled himself to his feet at the same time that Rochefort managed to roll Mr. Potter off of him and get to his.

James sprinted, leaping over his mother and bending down to scoop up the wand. He turned on the spot just in time for Rochefort to barrel into him and they both toppled down the staircase once more, landing with an almighty crash at the bottom that caused the wand to squirt loose once more. James wrestled to get out from underneath Rochefort, but the latter slammed his fist into James' nose, crunching it with agonizing force. James cried out as Rochefort crawled off him, moving towards the wand. Just as his foot moved past James' face, he reached out in desperation and sank his teeth as hard as he could into the back of his ankle. Rochefort screamed a terrible, high pitched sound and tried to shake James loose, finally succeeding in shunting him backwards into the wall.

James was on his feet again in a moment, just as Rochefort reached his wand. James leapt onto the man and they wrestled once more—James head butted Rochefort in the face with all the force he could muster, feeling the satisfying crunch of Rochefort's own nose under his forehead. Rochefort screamed in fury and grabbed James' hair, causing him to cry out. James reached out and grabbed a fistful of Rochefort's own hair and they screamed at each other, in much the same way that James had fought with Snape what seemed like only a short time ago.

'GET OFF!' Rochefort roared and his boot found James' midsection and he launched James backwards off of him, taking a clump of Rochefort's hair with him as he was sent tumbling through the air and crashing through the wooden banister of the staircase. Rochefort scurried over to his wand, grabbing it with his good arm and spinning back towards James. He darted back up the staircase, narrowly avoiding a jet of green light sent forth from Rochefort's wand. He clambered back into the room, knowing he only had second as he grabbed the sword of Gryffindor from the floor.

'The window, James—go! NOW!' his Mother shouted.

Knowing a pang of fear for his parents, James instantly obeyed—he could not help them without a wand. He ran for the window and dove, crashing through it and out into the night. He knew the feeling of weightlessness and then he landed in a heap in a bush that adorned the sidewalk down below. Not hesitating for a moment, he rolled out of it and ran, trying to get his bearings.

'Where are you running to, Potter?' he heard Rochefort call from somewhere behind him. He chanced a look back in time to see a jet of green light hurtling straight for him. He threw himself to the side, hearing the curse whistle past him by the narrowest of narrow margins. It crashed into the brick side of a dwelling, causing the bricks to explode into dust.

_Where the hell am I? _James wondered to himself, and then he saw the park—the main park in town, not too far from the cemetery. An idea came to him. He could only hope that the moment he had not apparated into Hogwarts as he was supposed to upon being eliminated, that Dumbledore had sent someone to fetch his parents. He ran as fast as he could, weaving from side to side so as to avoid Rochefort who was limping after him slowly. The fact that an anti-apparition charm had been cast upon the village was now working in James' favor—Rochefort was slowed by the bite to his leg, his previous injuries, and his loss of blood. James, though exhausted from two days of the Combat Championship and his own battle with Rochefort, was comparatively fresher.

People were starting to crowd into the streets, alerted by the sounds of battle from the giants and the Aurors. 'RUN! GET BACK INSIDE!' James yelled as they took in the sight of this sprinting, blood-soaked teenaged boy carrying a massive sword in alarm. If they had been frightened by that scene, they screamed in terror and ran at the sight of the wanted, one-eyed, one-armed fugitive stumping methodically after him.

James' lungs were burning, his throat was scorched, but still onward he pressed. Just up ahead was the house—but would anyone be there? He wiped that thought from his mind, clenching his teeth. Just then, that cool, calm voice spoke once again in the back of his head.

_Your parents' wands. They must be in the house somewhere if Rochefort didn't take them._

Through the front gate James went, dimly aware that he was stepping over the body of an Auror that Rochefort must have killed to get to the Potters. He crashed through the open front door and looked around—he couldn't have had more than a few seconds' worth of a head start. He rounded the corner of the staircase, bursting into the kitchen where he nearly collided with another figure who was standing there.

'James!' cried Dorcas Meadowes and her face turned white as she took him in. 'My God—' she began.

'Rochefort,' James gasped. 'Right behind me—'

'GET DOWN!' Dorcas cried suddenly and her foot lashed out, kicking James in the gut but sending him backwards and to the ground as she dove aside herself. A jet of green light soared through the air where the two of them had stood only a moment behind. Dorcas spun on the spot and whipped her wand elegantly, firing a stunning spell back to the doorway where Rochefort stood. He dove aside, swearing loudly as he did so. 'Potter, catch!' Dorcas called and James saw his wand whipping through the air towards him. He leapt up, catching it with the skill of the Chaser, and turned—it was as though the wand had injected adrenaline into him, as cool confidence swirled through every fiber of his being. His wand in one hand, the sword of Gryffindor in the other, he turned his gaze on Rochefort who was looking at him like he was the Angel of Death incarnate.

'No running away this time,' James seethed.

'AVADA KEDAVARA!' Rochefort yelled and James leapt nimbly aside, purpose flowing through him as the killing curse missed. He launched an Impediment jinx that Rochefort blocked deftly, but Rochefort was not so fortunate a moment later when he was struck full in the face by a spell that Dorcas fired his way. He roared out in fury as an angry welt grew on his cheek and he slashed his wand viciously, sending a wall of purple fire stretching towards Dorcas. She spun her wand dizzyingly fast, a series of bubbles emitting from it that engulfed the purple flames whole. Dorcas then spun and fired a blast from her wand like a cannon that Rochefort barely tipped aside, blowing a massive hole in the front of the house.

'Expelliarmus!' James cried and Rochefort batted the spell aside angrily, but was then caught in the midsection by a spell from Dorcas. 'STUPEFY!' James yelled and the spell caught the doubled over maniac in the face, sending him back flipping through the hole and out into the front yard. James moved to crash through the kitchen and go after him.

Dorcas grabbed his arm roughly. 'Where are you going?' she asked incredulously.

'To get him—Captain, we have to put a stop him—'

'Not a chance! James, He's here—we have to leave now!' Dorcas said urgently.

James shook his arm free. 'I know he's here, Dorcas, that's why I'm—'

'Not Rochefort! _Voldemort_!' Dorcas said frantically. 'We need to go! Now!'

James felt the blood drain from his face. He could see Rochefort retreating out of his front yard through the hole in the wall. 'My parents,' he gasped. 'They're in the house—they're in the place Rochefort took me to! We need to get them!'

Dorcas grabbed his arm. 'James, my job is to get you out of here safely,' she said fiercely.

'Bull!' James said angrily as he shook his arm free again. 'You came here to get my parents, not me!'

Dorcas rolled her eyes angrily. 'Semantics, James, I hardly expected to find you here!'

'Dorcas, PLEASE—it's my Mum and Dad, we have to help them, they're tied up, they don't have their wands!' he said, desperation entering his voice. 'Come on, we have to get them!'

Dorcas bit her lip. 'Damn it,' she sighed. 'You follow me and you do exactly as I say, when I say. No damned heroics, do you understand me, James?'

'Yes, I understand,' James said. 'We need to get their wands.'

'Already have them,' Dorcas said, patting her pocket. James made to go for the front of the house, but Dorcas grabbed him again. 'Back alley,' she said urgently. 'Come on.'

James followed her through the house and out the back door. They crossed through the back yard he knew so well—the miniature Quidditch Pitch off the side, where he had spent so much time practicing for the house Cup. Now it felt like an absurd monument to a life that might soon be leaving him. 'When did you get here?' James hissed.

'About two minutes after you failed to appear outside the castle,' Dorcas whispered back as they moved into the alley behind the dwellings. 'The entire Ministry of Magic was engaged in an operation here tonight, so we couldn't spare many people to send. Dumbledore told me to alert your parents—I got here and the house was ransacked.'

James nodded. 'Rochefort jumped them. It was all him, Dorcas—you were right—right about the source inside the Death Eaters. It was Rochefort all along, he planned this, planned for the Ministry to take the bait.'

'I figured when I saw the giants,' Dorcas whispered warily. 'Where are we going?'

'To the end of this street—they're not far,' James hissed back. 'How do you know Voldemort's here?'

Dorcas shook her head. 'I saw him,' she said. 'He was flying. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before.'

James knew exactly what she was referring to—the night he and Lily had barely escaped Voldemort's clutches, they had escaped on his broomstick. But Voldemort, without the aid of anything, flew right after them as if on smoke. It had been a terrifying sight then, and it didn't sit much better with James right now. 'Is anyone else coming?' James asked.

'I don't know,' Dorcas sighed. 'I couldn't apparate back to the castle. Whatever spell they've got over this village, it covers the whole place. I was just about to make a portkey when you barged in.'

'Well they must know something's wrong by now,' James said earnestly.

Dorcas snorted hollowly. 'And who's left for them to send to help?' she asked. 'Every damned Auror the Ministry had is already here and from the looks of things, they were getting slaughtered.' They stopped at the end of the alley, peering both ways. Frightened civilians were still rushing through the streets, pointing to the chaos taking place near the base of the hill. James spotted the dwelling he had escaped from, the massive hole still in the window. 'There!'

They began to cross the street, when James heard Rochefort's voice again. 'AVADA KEDAVARA!'

He threw himself to the ground as the spell sailed over his head. He rolled on the spot and fired a stunning spell back at Rochefort, who deflected it angrily as he stumped towards them. Dorcas waved her wand over her head, a fiery lasso emerging from it and she then swung her arm forward, launching the arcing flames directly at Rochefort.

For a moment, James thought he would surely be enveloped, but then the flames turned to daggers and exploded outwards in all directions. A witch running down the sidewalk was struck and fell to the ground, but Dorcas thrust her wand upwards and a great chunk of the paved road ripped straight out of the ground and acted as a massive shield, the daggers slamming into it. Dorcas then yelled out in exertion and the chunk of paved road hurtled forwards, blotting Rochefort from view entirely. It then exploded, turning into powder as Rochefort stood at the epicenter of the explosion, having detonated it with his wand. James was completely out of his element with the two of them going at it. He ran for the side of the street, and Dorcas caught on.

'Get your parents! I've got this!' she cried.

Rochefort laughed. 'Another friend, eager to die for him?' he taunted.

Dorcas' retort was lost as James whipped his wand at his own feet, non-verbally casting a hover charm on himself so he launched up through the window he had crashed through. He found his parents there—Mrs. Potter had untied herself and was untying Mr. Potter from his bonds. 'Oh thank God!' she cried as James rushed over.

'Diffindo,' he said firmly and his father's bonds disappeared.

'What happened to Rochefort?' Mr. Potter asked urgently.

'Outside, fighting with Dorcas—we need to get out of here, Voldemort's here,' James said urgently.

'Our wands—' his mother began.

'Dorcas has them, come on!' James yelled and they ran down the stairs and to the front door, bursting onto the street. Dorcas had just deflected a vicious looking spell from Rochefort up into the sky, but the force of it still took her off her feet. Rochefort lifted his wand to strike at her in her moment of weakness, but James' hurled a stunning spell his way. Rochefort didn't see it coming and it struck him in the face, sending him crashing to the ground once more. James ran to Dorcas' side as she regained her feet. 'The wands!' James gasped and she jammed her hand into her pocket and gave them to him. He quickly turned, giving them to his parents and turned back to face Rochefort, a swell of confidence within him at the fact that it was now four on one—

Only it wasn't. Rochefort was crawling to his feet, but he had been joined by a hooded figure, a stone-white face gazing out from under the darkness of its cloak, two scarlet eyes piercing the darkness as they seemed to lock on James from across the alleyway. But Lord Voldemort's eyes only lingered there for a moment, and they drifted upwards over James and then widened in a mixture of surprise and fear. James looked behind him and instantly realized why—standing directly behind him, cloak billowing in the wind, was Albus Dumbledore. His blue eyes were similarly locked on Lord Voldemort.

'Step aside, if you please,' Dumbledore said softly. 'I think it is high time that Tom and I had a conversation.'


	46. Lords and Dares

46

Silence passed between everyone for a moment. Rochefort stood behind Voldemort, clutching the bleeding stump where his arm had been only hours before. James, Dorcas, Mr. and Mrs. Potter stood slightly behind Dumbledore looking similarly battered and beaten. But none of them dared move—it was evident to all on either side that the only two who would be doing anything would be Voldemort and Dumbledore.

Voldemort reached up with his hands and pulled back the hood of his cloak, sneering so that his slit-like nostrils flared. His scarlet eyes seemed to glow in the night as they peered across the street at Dumbledore's. 'How quaint,' Voldemort said after a moment in his high, cold voice. 'You arrive whilst making a grand entrance, Dumbledore, but you have lost. The Ministry falls under my feet in this very village.'

'Kingdoms fall and are rebuilt, Tom,' Dumbledore said softly. 'It is in our very nature to rebuild things that have been destroyed. Where you try to stamp out good people, they will simply sprout back into the world.'

Voldemort laughed—it was an unpleasant, high sound. 'Ah yes,' he said softly. 'This is your great power. Love, the enduring power of goodness that will overcome all,' he said, the words dripping with undisguised loathing. 'Love is not helping the Aurors while they fall at the hands of my giants, Dumbledore.'

'Perhaps not tonight, but wars are not won in a day,' Dumbledore replied.

'You think you still have a chance?' Voldemort sneered.

Dumbledore shifted ever so slightly, and his wand appeared in his hand. 'I would not expect you to understand, Tom. There are many areas of magic in which you remain woefully short sighted,' he said.

Voldemort bared his teeth, giving off the image of a snake preparing to strike. 'We shall soon see just how short sighted I am, Dumbledore,' and his wand had appeared in his hand as well. Mr. Potter put an arm across James' chest and suddenly they were all backing away. James could see Rochefort limping backwards and away from the fray as well.

'The niceties, Tom,' Dumbledore said and he raised his wand to his forehead in a salute. Voldemort merely stared back at him. For a moment, James wondered if he was going to bow out of the fight—retreat out of fear.

But then Voldemort moved almost faster than James could see, his arm flicking forwards as if swatting at a fly that was crossing his line of sight. A sound like a thunderclap emitted from his wand and a blistering bolt of blue electricity shot across the clearing at Dumbledore, and James thought it surely must strike—but Dumbledore merely caught the bolt of energy with his free hand, forcing his arm backwards for a moment—and only a moment—as he pushed his arm back towards Voldemort and the bolt of energy fired back at him.

Voldemort leapt nimbly through the air, flipping over the bolt and he swirled his wand. The very clouds in the sky above them seemed to funnel down towards him like a tornado, and he cultivated it with his hands before spinning like a top, sending the windstorm forward. Dumbledore pointed his wand at the ground and it cracked and splintered, causing large chunks for rock to fly into the storm. They whipped out at random intervals towards Voldemort, who swung his own wand angrily and caused them to explode into powder.

Voldemort whipped his wand around and a tree uprooted from the earth, its roots crystalizing into a large, wooden spear which suddenly catapulted towards Dumbledore. With a simple wave of Dumbledore's wand, the spear burst into flames and crumbled to the ground in a pile of ash. With another wave of his wand, the ash turned into dagger-like diamonds that whistled towards Voldemort. Voldemort backpedalled, conjuring a steel bell out of mid-air and causing the diamonds to slam into it with loud 'gonging' sounds.

Dumbledore pressed forwards and James noticed the gravel and dirt on the street was slithering forwards, almost as if it were alive. It snaked towards Voldemort who almost didn't see it until it was upon him. The gravel seemed to climb up his leg and he shook it furiously, but soon he was enveloped from head to toe. For a moment, James thought that he had been overcome and that Dumbledore was set to win, but the gravel sunk back into the ground and Voldemort seemed to have disappeared.

'What—?' James asked, taking a step forward but his father yanked him backwards.

'Stay still,' he said.

Dumbledore was looking around. He clearly saw something before James did—he suddenly leapt backwards as a hand erupted out of the ground in front of him. Dumbledore slashed downwards, but Voldemort's other hand rose upwards followed by the rest of him, casting a shield charm that rebounded the spell up into the night sky where it exploded like a firework. The two were in close quarters now. Voldemort slashed his wand and a blade like a scythe emerged. James gasped, but Dumbledore exhibited far greater reflexes than he ever could have imagined and whipped to his side, pointing his own wand where a massive, gleaming hammer emerged. He swung it and it struck Voldemort's scythe like blade, shattering it into a million shards of energy which quickly turned into flames that rebounded upon Dumbledore.

Dumbledore batted them all aside with a shield charm, but Voldemort lunged forward, his wand arm knocking Dumbledore's wand arm aside as his right arm swung upwards in a claw-like strike. Dumbledore bent backwards to an almost impossible angle—reminding James of his own absurdly limbo-like move in the room of the moving staircases during the combat championship—but Dumbledore's hands touched the ground, putting him into a crab-walking position. Then, Dumbledore's foot launched upwards, striking Voldemort in the chin with a sound like cannon fire and Voldemort staggered backwards as Dumbledore landed nimbly on his feet and pointed his wand at his counterpart, firing a wiry net that burst forth towards Voldemort.

Voldemort was equal to the task and he slashed his wand in a dizzying array of speed, cutting the meshy net to pieces and leaving it on the ground. He laughed mirthlessly as he stared at Dumbledore. 'Pathetic—duelling to capture? _Me? _As if there was a prison built that could hold me?'

Dumbledore smiled, but there was no pleasure behind the look. 'There are far greater horrors in life than can be provided by the likes of the Dementors,' he said softly.

Voldemort laughed. 'You still think the Dementors are your allies?' he taunted. 'Just like the giants, just like the Inferi, they will soon be under my control! I can offer them things you never could!'

'The Ministry and I have never seen eye to eye on the Dementors, and I am sure that—given your mutual enjoyment in causing terror—you can offer them more frequent use of their talents,' Dumbledore said with a polite incline of his head, as if he was conceding a point in a debate. 'But there are far more effective ways of destroying men.'

A flash of some emotion—fear?—seemed to play across Voldemort's face and then he was moving again. The glass in the windows and doors of every dwelling on the street shattered and hurtled towards Dumbledore who spun on the spot, deflecting the glass away from him as if it were rubber balls bouncing off. The glass seemed to hurtle harmlessly back through the air, but then it moved as though it had a mind of its own with astonishing speed towards Voldemort who was forced to wave his wand back and forth, turning the glass into sand as it passed through his shield charm.

Dumbledore pressed his advantage, whipping his wand around and ripping individual stones from the cobbled street and launching them at Voldemort from all different directions. But Voldemort was equal to the task, spinning back and forth, ducking, dodging and weaving—James' mind ludicrously thought of what a Quidditch player he would have made—as he dazzlingly moved his wand back and forth. But he was so caught on the defensive that he nearly missed a massive bolt of energy that Dumbledore fired from his wand that expanded like a crackling trap.

'My Lord!' Rochefort cried from his vantage point and Voldemort suddenly leapt straight up into the air. Where normal people would have stopped ascending, Voldemort kept right on going, and it was suddenly apparent that he was flying. He did a high loop through the sky and then rocketed down towards Dumbledore, firing curses from his wand with dizzying speed. James recognized the jets of green light as a hail of killing curses.

'EVERYONE TAKE COVER!' Mr. Potter roared and James was suddenly bodily hauled backwards, Dorcas had him by the collar as they sprinted back to the cover of the house they had emerged from, Mrs. Potter and Mr. Potter directly behind as the street was suddenly rained upon by the deadly spells, causing the ground wherever they touched to crack and explode. James could not see Dumbledore outside through the hail of green energy bolts, but after a few moments, it subsided and Voldemort stood alone on the ground—Dumbledore was nowhere to be seen.

Voldemort spun around, his teeth bared, searching angrily. 'Where did he go?' he snapped.

'My Lord, I do not—THERE!' Rochefort shouted.

James felt his heart leap as Dumbledore emerged as though attached to the front of a locomotive, torpedoing across the clearing and slamming into Voldemort's back. Voldemort yelled out in agony and spun, slashing his wand angrily with such force that Dumbledore's shield charm didn't quite absorb all of it. Dumbledore's head snapped back, a gash appearing on his left cheek that sprayed blood. Voldemort laughed mirthlessly, but Dumbledore simply smiled back. Voldemort's smile staggered and he looked down at his side—scarlet was splattering his robes on his side, near where Dumbledore had struck him.

'You dare,' Voldemort hissed.

'Yes, I dare. Wherever you go, good men will always dare, Tom,' Dumbledore replied softly.

Voldemort pointed his wand in the air and there was a blinding flash. James threw his arms up in front of his eyes as the entire world seemed to go white before him. He heard his mother cry out in surprise, but as suddenly as the blinding light had come it was gone. James blinked, stars in his vision, and saw Dumbledore standing alone in the middle of the road. Voldemort was in the air high above him, holding Rochefort by the neck of his robes.

'Continue sending your good men to oppose me, Dumbledore,' Voldemort taunted. 'And I will keep killing them. To oppose Lord Voldemort is to die!' he snarled and then he rocketed off into the sky and away, dragging Rochefort with him.

James watched in stunned silence for a moment, but Dumbledore moved swiftly towards them. 'It would be unwise for you to remain here,' he said in that same soft tone as if he had just finished a pleasant cup of tea. 'I must assist the Aurors. Dorcas, can I trust you to escort these three safely back to Hogwarts?' he asked.

'There's an anti-apparition charm,' Dorcas said quickly.

Dumbledore waved his wand easily and the air seemed to crackle and hum for a moment, and then all was silent once more. 'Not anymore,' he replied. 'Get back to Hogwarts and remain there, it should be safe. I will come as soon as I have resolved this.'

'Will you need help?' Dorcas asked evenly.

'I should think not,' Dumbledore replied.

'Professor…' James began.

Dumbledore placed a hand on James' shoulder, and his eyes were suddenly sad. 'I am sorry, James, that you had to experience this yet again. It appears that as I grow older, my oversights are becoming correspondingly larger—an alarming trend indeed. You should never have been in harm's way tonight.'

'No one saw it coming,' James said quickly. 'Rochefort's plan…was almost perfect.'

'Indeed,' Dumbledore replied. 'But he is not the only one who can make plans. Now, with haste—back to Hogwarts with you. I shall see you shortly.'

'Come on, son,' Mr. Potter said and he grabbed James' arm. James knew that familiar squeezing sensation, and the last thing he saw of Godric's Hollow was the brilliant blue of Dumbledore's eyes before they were travelling through the compressed nothingness on their way back to Hogwarts.


	47. Tales and Punches

47

James' feet touched soft ground once more and he inhaled deeply—the familiar smell of the natural, forest air of Hogwarts filled his nose and he opened his eyes. The moon was high in the sky over the school and they were standing just outside the front gates. Squinting through the darkness, James could still see the tents that comprised the Ministry's presence at the school for the Combat Championship. But all appeared quiet, now. James wondered if everyone had been sent back to their dormitories now that the contest was over.

'Expecto Patronum,' Dorcas said softly from his side, and a silver tabby cat emerged from the end of her wand, circling gracefully to face her as it awaited her instructions. 'Tell Professor McGonagall that we are here and require entry, but do it discreetly,' she added, and the Patronus took off at a run towards the school.

James was suddenly aware of his parents looking at him in concern. He dropped the sword of Gryffindor to the ground with a loud clang and pulled his parents into a rough embrace, burying his face into his mother's shoulder. 'I thought I'd lost you guys,' he said thickly.

'We're pretty resilient, James,' Mr. Potter said with a chuckle.

'Honestly, I've never been so terrified…' James said as he stepped back, taking a deep breath. It was only now hitting him just how close he had come to being forced to watch his parents get murdered.

Mrs. Potter smiled and caressed his cheek. 'I wasn't worried,' she said after a moment. 'We were with you.'

James cast his gaze over to Dorcas who seemed to be desperately trying to blend in with her surroundings. He strolled over to her and gave her a crushing hug as well, causing her to laugh. 'Things just seem to happen to you, don't they?' she mused.

'You always seem to be there for me when they do,' James muttered.

'I'm still your guard, James,' she said with a wink. 'Look sharp, here comes McGonagall.'

James scooped back down and picked up the sword. A small party was crossing the grounds towards them. Professor McGonagall was holding a lantern in front of her, making her easily recognizable. Hagrid was stumping along at her side, his crossbow in hand and Fang the boar hound trotting along at his side. But it was the three boys who sprinted ahead of McGonagall upon landing eyes on James that he cared about. McGonagall waved her wand and the gates opened. James hauled himself through the second they were wide enough to allow it and he ran forward into a jumping tackle-hug with Sirius, Remus and Peter. James thought for sure that his ribcage was going to be crushed—Sirius had a hold of him around his waist and had lifted him bodily from the ground. Peter was wrapped around his legs and Remus had grabbed a portion of his shoulder.

'Easy, you three,' James grunted. 'I'm not a wishbone.'

'Sorry,' they said and they all disbursed at once, nearly causing James to fall to the ground. It was only then that the light from McGonagall's lantern fell on James' face, causing everyone to gasp and back up.

'You—you look dead,' Remus said in a horrified tone.

'Is that your blood?' Peter asked.

'Oh,' James said and he hefted the sword of Gryffindor, further causing everyone's eyes to goggle out of their heads. 'No, it's not mine. Well, most of it, anyway,' he said with a dry laugh.

'Heavens, Potter,' McGonagall said, ashen white as she said so. 'Come, let's get you up to the hospital wing to see Madam Pomfrey. Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew—you've seen your friend is safe, now you really must get back to your dormitory.'

James looked at McGonagall resolutely. 'I'm not going anywhere without them,' he said firmly, earning appreciative looks from them.

'Right,' McGonagall said, relenting immediately. 'Here, Potter, hold still—we don't want you going through the school looking like death. _Tergeo,_' she said firmly and the blood on James' face seemed to crust off and fall to the ground. He raised his hands to his cheekbones and felt his own skin, smooth and unharmed underneath it. The only part that was still incredibly tender was his nose, which he suspected Rochefort had broken. 'Much better,' McGonagall said kindly.

Hagrid cleared his throat. 'Wan' me to carry tha' for you, James?' he asked, indicating the sword.

'Oh, yeah,' James said, holding it up for Hagrid to take. 'To Professor Dumbledore's office, I'd imagine.'

'Righ' yeh are,' Hagrid said and he took off on foot. James got the distinct impression he was leaving abruptly so as not to show that he was beside himself with emotions.

They were quickly whisked up to the hospital wing. Upon arriving, Madam Pomfrey was in an absolute state. Apart from a swollen heel, a black eye and a broken nose, James was actually in very good shape. Mr. Potter had a nasty cut over his eyebrow and a possibly fractured skull, while Mrs. Potter had a broken cheek bone. Both of them had been subjected to the Cruciatus Curse, however.

Sirius, Remus and Peter watched quietly as Madam Pomfrey finished fussing over James and then moved on to check on his parents. Dorcas had excused herself to go to the Headmaster's Office as well to see if there was any word on the happenings in Godric's Hollow. James recounted everything that had happened since the moment he had left Hogwarts, with his friends listening in rapt attention—apparating into the attic in Godric's Hollow, Rochefort revealing that all of their inside information had been carefully planted, the reveal of the giants ambushing the Aurors with no way for them to retreat, James trying desperately to alert someone at the Ministry by using his Trace, the sword of Gryffindor revealing itself to him in the mirror, using it to slice Rochefort's arm off (which caused Peter to nearly faint, Remus to clutch the bed sheets so tightly that his knuckles were white, and Sirius made a vehement, profane exclamation of joy at the prospect), running from Rochefort back to the house, meeting up with Dorcas, and then—finally—the showdown between Dumbledore and Voldemort.

'Merlin's Beard, James,' Remus said softly.

Sirius clapped James on the knee. 'Wait until everyone hears you did it again,' he said excitedly. 'Not just that you got away from Rochefort, but that you cut off his bloody arm!'

James shook his head. 'That's a footnote, I think,' he said quietly. 'I can't imagine many Aurors survived tonight.'

Remus looked fierce. 'James, you can't think like that. That would have happened whether you were there or not. You were captured—again—by one of the most dangerous dark wizards out there and you fought your way out. That's an incredible achievement.'

James chuckled. 'I missed your voice of reason, Moony,' he said with a sigh. 'But I don't know if you can talk loudly enough for everyone in the magical community to hear you. Supposedly, every Auror was there tonight.'

'Well…not everyone,' Peter said and Sirius looked suddenly livid.

'What's going on?' James asked, looking back and forth between them.

Remus sighed. 'I was going to tell you later, but—well—Umbridge is still here at the school.'

'She's not an Auror, though,' James said.

Remus nodded. 'True, but—well, let's just say that she was speculating rather loudly as to how it is that you always end up near these catastrophes,' Remus said in a rush.

James blinked. 'Is she taking the mickey?'

'I think she took all the mickeys on the planet,' Sirius said mutinously.

'What, does she think I'm working for Voldemort or something?' James asked incredulously.

Peter threw up his hands in a placating gesture. 'Nobody's buying it, James,' he said hastily. 'She's just trying to smear your name—the same thing she's been doing since your hearing last summer.'

James sighed furiously. 'Let's talk about something else before I get tempted to go pay her a visit,' he said acidly.

Peter seized this opportunity like a dog with a bone. 'What did you lot think of the Championship?' he asked.

Sirius chuckled. 'It was pretty great fun. Although Moony had to go and ruin it all by getting eliminated so fast,' he chided.

James laughed. 'Honestly—going and getting yourself eliminated by Snivellus?' he asked and they all laughed together. 'You two are okay now, by the way?' James asked, glancing back and forth between Peter and Sirius. Peter looked embarrassed, but Sirius shrugged.

'The whole you-getting-kidnapped thing kind of put things in perspective for us,' he said.

James nodded slowly. 'And what about Evans?' he asked quietly.

Sirius and Remus exchanged a glance. 'You take this one, Moony,' Sirius said.

'Is it bad?' James asked.

'Not really—well, I think it could be worse,' Remus said when Sirius raised his eyebrows at him. 'She was in a right state after she got eliminated. She thought the four of us had known all along about Mary's plan,' he added with an apologetic look to Peter who again looked embarrassed.

James bit his lip. 'Were you able to convince her otherwise?' he asked.

Remus shrugged. 'I don't know if she really believes that, to be honest. I think her feelings were hurt that—well, that you eliminated her,' he said.

'But it was an accident!' James said.

'You're preaching to the choir,' Sirius said firmly. 'Now tell him the good news, already, will you?' he said irritably to Remus.

Remus smiled. 'She was beside herself when you didn't turn up,' he said quietly. 'It wouldn't surprise me if she came to see you at some point. A lot of people were really worried.'

'What happened at that part?' James asked.

Sirius' face darkened. 'By the time I got there, it was already panic city,' he muttered.

'We saw on the enchanted Hogwarts Board that you'd been eliminated. Everyone else who had been eliminated always apparated directly onto the stage and was told what number they were eliminated at. 'You're the five hundredth person to be eliminated', that sort of thing,' Remus said. 'But then you didn't show. They waited a few seconds, then a minute, then Dumbledore seemed to realize something was wrong. You were nowhere on the Hogwarts Board, and they did a quick search of the school grounds to see if they could find you with no luck. That's when he sent Dorcas off to get your parents.'

Peter nodded nervously. 'It was pretty terrifying—especially when she didn't come back,' he said. 'She was only supposed to be gone a few minutes, so when that stretched out…people got really worried.'

'And a lot of Ministry officials had left that evening for the big to-do in Godric's Hollow as well,' Remus said. 'Not that we knew that at the time,' he added.

'And Dumbledore just stayed there alone to take on the giants?' Sirius asked in awe. James nodded. 'Wow,' he said.

Madam Pomfrey came back over. 'I think it's really time for everyone to get some rest,' she said in a threatening tone.

James glanced at the others. 'See you in a bit,' he said with a wink that Sirius returned with a grin. The three of them headed off out the door, waving as they went. Madam Pomfrey gave Mr. and Mrs. Potter a potion for a dreamless sleep, but James refused. He laid back on his bed as Madam Pomfrey shut out the lights and headed to her office, closing the door.

James nearly leapt out of his bed when a silhouette became visible in the darkness behind the door. He was reaching for his wand and glasses, not sure which he would grab first, when the silhouette stepped into the light and he could see the mane of red hair. 'Shh,' Lily Evans said and she pointed her wand at the door to Madam Pomfrey's office. 'Muffliato,' she hissed and then she came over to the edge of the bed.

James slapped his glasses on and glanced at his parents' sleeping forms. 'Seriously, Evans—after everything I've gone through tonight you think hiding behind a door to jump out at me is a good idea?' he said in equal parts exasperation and amusement.

'Sorry—McGonagall wasn't letting anyone out of the dormitories. She only made a special exception for Sirius, Remus and Peter,' she said.

James frowned. 'So how did you get out?'

'I snuck out as soon as she was gone,' Lily said with a shrug.

James laughed quietly. 'Lily Evans, rule breaker? Someone pinch me, I must be dreaming.'

'Funny,' Lily said in a flat tone of voice.

James' smile died. 'So how much of our conversation did you hear?' he asked.

'Everything,' Lily said as she sat down in the chair Sirius had occupied only moments earlier. 'Potter…I'm sorry.'

'For what?' James asked.

Lily sighed. 'For losing my mind on you,' she said bashfully as she looked at her feet. 'I was so ready to tear you apart the moment you were out of the game. I was really happy when you were the first of the last eight to be eliminated. And then…and then…' her voice trailed off and James frowned. Through the darkness, he could see her staring at her hands. 'Why is it always you?' she asked. 'Why is it always you that he wants to get? Why can't he come for _me_?'

'You'd rather he did?' James asked.

Lily looked up at him. 'Yes,' she said firmly.

James sighed. 'Well, first off, I'd greatly prefer he come for me rather than you,' he said. Lily snorted. 'Second off, it's probably because you're right about me, Evans,' he said. 'I'm an arrogant toerag. I'm infinitely more detestable than you are, which makes Rochefort hone in on me.'

'You're not that detestable,' Lily said with a small chuckle.

'That may be the nicest thing you've ever said to me,' James deadpanned. 'And I notice that you don't deny that I'm arrogant,' he quipped.

Lily smiled in an embarrassed way. 'I almost gave myself away when you got to the part about cutting Rochfort's arm off,' she said nervously. 'I tried to punch the air and accidentally hit the door.'

James laughed. 'Am I that good a story teller?' he asked.

'Well, you've certainly got a tale or two to tell your children one day, now,' Lily said with a sigh.

Just then, the door at the end of the hospital wing opened. James jerked in his seat—Lily was caught like a deer in the headlights, and James half expected Professor McGonagall to stroll in and get cross with them. But it was someone different altogether. James' insides boiled—only Rochefort and Voldemort would have been ahead of Dolores Umbridge on his list of people he absolutely did not want to see.

'Ah, Potter,' Umbridge said in her sing-song voice. 'Just the man I've been looking for.'

'I think visiting hours are over,' Lily said icily.

Umbridge raised her eyebrows coldly. 'And I believe curfew has passed, young lady. You'd best be off to your dormitories before I report you to your teachers,' she snapped.

Lily folded her arms. 'I'm not going anywhere. And perhaps you'd like me to report you to your superiors for questioning James without the faculty's permission?'

Umbridge turned an ugly shade of puce. 'What makes you think I don't have their permission?' she asked in a sickly sweet voice

'You're telling me that you do?' Lily asked coldly.

'That's Ministry business,' Umbridge said crossly, and she turned her attention to James, evidently deciding to pretend that Lily was not there. 'Mr. Potter, how did you come to be in Godric's Hollow tonight?'

James sat up straighter in his bed. 'Maybe Ms. Evans wasn't clear enough for you,' he said slowly. 'I'm not talking to you.'

'I am an official with the Ministry of Magic and you _will _answer any questions I ask you, young man,' Umbridge said, her sing-song voice faltering as she stepped to the end of the bed.

'Why? So you can try to keep smearing my name?' James asked. 'It didn't work before, and it sure isn't going to work now.'

Umbridge snorted, disguising the sound as her attempting to clear her throat. 'Cooperating with the Ministry, Potter, is perhaps the best way to clear your name. The real story.'

Lily stood up now. 'I think he's made it clear he's not telling you anything,' she said and there was a dangerous tone in her voice. Even though she was significantly younger than Umbridge, she was an inch or so taller.

'I would have to ask you to step back, Ms. Evans,' Umbridge said, and her tone became equally dangerous. 'I am already recommending your expulsion from Hogwarts for violation of curfew given the events of this evening, and I would only be delighted to add a charge for assaulting a Ministry official.'

Lily laughed, and James frowned. 'You're going to have me charged, are you?' she asked in an amused tone of voice.

'Most certainly,' Umbridge said in a malicious whisper.

Lily shrugged. 'I guess I'd better earn it, then,' she said. The next moment seemed to happen in slow motion—Lily's left foot planted into the ground and her right hand swung upwards and around in a right hook that seemed to start somewhere in lower Great Britain, curve over the skies of London, and land in the hospital wing of Hogwarts' School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as Lily Evans' fist connected solidly with the side of Dolores Umbridge's face, sending the woman to the ground as James' jaw dropped.

Umbridge landed with a thud on the ground and did not move. James' gaze drifted back up to Lily who was standing there, her hair dropping into her face as she panted angrily. 'That felt good,' she hissed.

'Not good,' came a voice from the doorway, and they looked up to see Sirius, Remus and Peter standing there with equal looks of amazement on their face. 'Bloody brilliant!' Sirius finished.


	48. Losses and Pledges

48

Everyone was standing still in shock for a moment as Umbridge rolled on the floor like an absurdly overturned insect. She scrambled back to her feet as Lily backed up a step – Umbridge's hand twitched towards her side where James could only guess her wand was. In a moment, he'd grabbed his wand from the table, and Lily, Sirius, Remus and Peter—the latter three who had entered the room now—all had theirs in their hand as well.

'You impertinent little pup!' roared Umbridge. 'How _dare _you!'

'I think it's time for you to go, ma'am,' Remus said softly from behind her and she spun to face him. Lily waved her wand quickly and James knew she had lifted the muffliato charm covering Madam Pomfrey's office.

'I am an official with the Ministry of Magic and I have just been assaulted!' she declared. 'Hold your tongue, boy, or I will add you to the list of people in this room facing charges!'

The door to the hospital wing opened and everyone froze. Standing there was Albus Dumbledore, looking somewhat tired, but untouched. Standing next to him—and looking significantly more touched—was Bartemius Crouch. He had singe marks all over him, his robes were tattered and blood was trickling from a cut next to his left eye. In the same instant, the door to Madam Pomfrey's office opened and she stood there looking thunderstruck.

'Now really!' Pomfrey thundered. 'These people need their sleep—' she cut herself short as she noticed the wands, her eyes goggling out of her head.

'Dolores?' Crouch asked in surprise as they took in the situation before them—Lily, James, Sirius, Remus and Peter all pointing their wands at her. 'Put those away!' Crouch added after a moment as they stepped in. They instantly obeyed.

Dumbledore strode towards the middle of the room. 'James?' he asked after a moment, but it was Umbridge that sprung into speech.

'I was assaulted,' Umbridge said. 'This little brat,' she added, pointing her finger at Lily who raised her eyebrows coldly, 'just hit me in the face like a common muggle!'

Sirius cleared his throat. 'I wouldn't say that,' he said loudly. 'I'd say she hit you in the face like a _brilliant _muggle,' he added to an appreciative look from Lily.

'You see? They don't even deny it!' Umbridge blustered.

Crouch frowned. 'But what are you even doing here?' he asked.

'I came to question Potter about the night's events,' Umbridge said.

'An interrogation that, I am sure, could have waited until the morning,' Dumbledore said. His tone was conversational, but there was no mistaking the warning note in it. Crouch certainly did not seem to miss it as he regarded Umbridge warily.

'Dolores, I need you to return to the Ministry as hastily as you can,' he said after a moment.

'But—this girl—' Umbridge spluttered.

'Is of minor concern at the moment,' Crouch said in a tone of deafening finality. 'We've been dealt a major blow and we need someone working damage control. That someone is you. Now go,' he added.

Umbridge cast a withering glare at Lily, and then sneered at James before sweeping from the room angrily, causing Sirius, Remus and Peter to scatter out of her way. Once she was gone, Crouch removed his hat and ran a hand through his thinning hair. He glanced at Lily. 'You're alright?' he asked in a surprisingly soft tone.

'Yes,' Lily said, apparently equally surprised.

Crouch nodded. 'I'll—ah—figure out how to handle that, Albus,' he said quietly.

'In due time,' Dumbledore said. 'In the meantime, should you require any assistance, do not hesitate to call on me.'

Crouch nodded as Madam Pomfrey approached. 'You look like you could use some patching up,' she offered helpfully.

Crouch shook his head curtly. 'Time for that later,' he said. 'St. Mungo's is filling up rather rapidly, however. I might need to send a few of my staff your way for treatment. Would that be alright?'

'Yes, of course,' Madam Pomfrey replied. 'I'll put some tea on.'

Crouch nodded and opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swept out of the room wordlessly, shutting the door quietly behind him. Dumbledore's gaze turned to Lily as Madam Pomfrey bustled off to her office. 'What happened, Ms. Evans?' he asked softly.

Lily quickly recounted the events that culminated with her punching Umbridge. James thought he saw Dumbledore's lips twitch upwards once or twice, but he remained silent until the end. 'You have my full sympathies,' he said after a moment. 'But Dolores Umbridge is particularly renowned for being able to hold a grudge. I would advise you to tread lightly.'

'But surely she'll be fired after this?' Sirius asked incredulously.

'That is something I am afraid I cannot ask Bartemius to do,' Dumbledore replied as he sat down on one of the chairs in the hospital wing. 'He has suffered a terrible loss tonight.'

James swallowed. 'How bad is it?' he asked.

Dumbledore regarded him carefully. 'There were four hundred and twenty one Aurors in the employ of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement before this evening,' he said. 'Only thirty-six remain.'

James' mouth fell open. Lily gasped and dropped into a chair heavily. Sirius and Remus exchanged a worried glance, and Peter looked as though he was going to be physically ill. 'That's…so many…' James said lamely.

Dumbledore nodded. 'Rochefort's plan was nearly perfect,' he went on. 'The Aurors were caught completely off guard, and they were ill equipped to deal with giants.'

'But you were?' Remus asked.

'I have—ah—experience in the field,' Dumbledore said after a moment. 'Suffice to say that the Ministry is going to be finding itself shorthanded in a manner which they have never experienced before.'

Lily shook her head. 'So their plan worked,' she said hollowly. 'The Ministry is virtually defenseless now.'

Dumbledore hesitated. 'Not entirely,' he said after a moment. 'Make no mistake, this was a terrible loss and one that puts the Ministry—and by extension, everyone in the magical and muggle communities alike—at risk. But there are still people working against Voldemort around the clock.'

'Who?' Remus asked.

Dumbledore glanced at a clock on the wall. 'I have to pay a visit to Minister Bagnold, who will no doubt be finding herself overwhelmed at the night's events,' he said. 'When I return, I will send for you and we will discuss the matter more completely. Until such a time, if anyone asks,' he added, with a glance at Lily, Remus, Sirius and Peter, 'you have my permission to be out past curfew.' He then swept out of the room without another word.

'More than three hundred Aurors…dead…' Peter said nauseously after a moment.

'I was right there,' James muttered hollowly. 'I should have done something.'

Lily snorted. 'Your hands were full with the head of the snake, Potter,' she said. 'There's only so much one person can do.'

'Yeah,' Sirius said, nodding fervently. 'Rochefort's going to have a hard time giving anyone a round of applause now thanks to you, mate.'

'You did good,' Remus said firmly. 'The night could have ended in a far worse manner—you and your parents could have died at Rochefort's hand. But you didn't.'

Peter nodded as well. 'You know what they say about the sword of Gryffindor—it only reveals itself to the truest of the bunch.'

'But how did it get there?' Lily mused.

James shook his head. 'I have no idea,' he said. 'I—I saw it in the reflection of a mirror, and I was able to reach in and grab it.'

'Wicked,' Sirius said.

'Was the mirror magical?' Remus asked.

James chuckled dryly. 'Sorry, I didn't stop to ask,' he said. 'The house was abandoned—it might have been magical, but I really have no idea.'

'Had to have been,' Lily said after a moment. 'Do you know who the house belonged to?' she asked.

James shook his head. 'Not even a little,' he replied. .I barely even recognized where I was as Godric's Hollow. Didn't really have any time to go out and explore the town last summer, given that I was under house arrest.'

'Something for us to do this summer,' Sirius said.

Remus glanced at the door. 'You suppose we're going to find out what Dumbledore's been up to over the last year?' he asked. 'When he comes back from the Ministry?'

'I hope so,' James said. 'What did Longbottom end up doing when he won the Championship?'

'He insisted on putting everything off until you were found,' Lily said. 'He was trying to convince Dorcas to take him with her to Godric's Hollow to get your parents, but she had none of it.'

James sighed as he leaned back. 'He'd have been helpful,' he said. He felt another pang as he thought of all the Aurors, duped into the trap… 'What about Professor Fletcher?' he asked suddenly. 'What's going to happen to him, do you reckon?'

'What do you mean?' Remus asked with a frown.

'Well, it was his information they were acting on,' James said.

Sirius raised his eyebrows. 'You think he intentionally relayed bad information?'

James contemplated that and shook his head. 'I don't think so,' he said after a moment. 'Remember when he said that all he knew about why they were receiving it was that it—it was about me?' he asked. When they nodded, he pressed on. 'Frank was right at the start of the year. Rochefort had fallen out of favor with Voldemort and the Death Eaters in a big way, so he hatched this plan to eliminate the Ministry's Aurors in one big checkmate.'

'So what does that have to do with you?' Peter asked with a frown.

James contemplated that. 'He couldn't very well come after me if he was a target of the Death Eaters as well,' he said.

'So now that he's back and in charge, you think that's his next move?' Remus asked.

James contemplated that. 'I don't know,' he said after a moment. 'But I do know one thing…the Ministry can't afford to protect us, now. Any of us,' he said with a look at Lily.

'I'll tell my family to go to North America again,' she said.

'Good idea,' James said after a moment.

'What about you?' Remus asked. 'You're the one he seems to keep going for.'

James shrugged. 'I don't think it matters where I go,' he said. 'He pointed out that he's successfully snuck me out from under the best protection the Ministry had to offer on more than a few occasions. I don't think moving to a new house will be very helpful.'

'So you're just going to sit back and wait for him to come to you?' Lily asked incredulously.

'I don't see any better options,' James said firmly. 'If I go somewhere else, I'll just be putting more lives in danger. I'll just have to be ready for him whenever he comes.'

'He's almost killed you several times, though,' Remus said.

'He's failed to kill me several times,' James corrected.

Sirius nodded. 'Well, I'll be living with you now, too,' he said bracingly. 'I'd certainly love to get my piece of the action.'

'Don't be mental,' Remus scolded.

Sirius put his chin out. 'Moony, I don't see another way that this can end,' he said. 'This psycho wants to kill James. It's practically his life's goal now. James has no Ministry protection—all he's got is us,' he said firmly. 'And what do Marauders do?'

Lily looked at them in confusion as Remus regarded Sirius warily, but it was Peter who piped up—albeit in a miserable tone. 'We always have each other's backs,' he mumbled.

'Exactly,' Sirius said. 'And that's exactly what I intend to do—until we finally manage to kill Rochefort, I'm going to have James' back.'

James smiled at his best friend. 'Cheers, brother,' he said.

'Of course I've got your back,' Remus said.

Peter nodded, but he still looked a little green. 'Me too.'

They all looked at Lily who raised her eyebrows and glanced over at James. 'We still have our deal, Potter,' she said. 'We kill him. Together.'

'Welcome to the Marauders, Evans,' James said with a dry laugh.


	49. Departures and Planning

49

The following days saw things at Hogwarts return to a relatively normal state. Of course, word of what had happened in Godric's Hollow that night spread like wildfire and a state of fear settled in upon the school. Those who had been sworn to protect them, the Aurors, were suddenly crippled in the face of Voldemort's increasingly growing ranks.

The news was further compounded by the sudden departure of Professor Mundungus Fletcher, who had gone to ground almost immediately after the events. Frank Longbottom had theorized that he was now aware that Voldemort's side knew he was a spy, and was trying as best as he could to hide. This caused Alice to point out just how far Professor Mondego had gotten when he tried to leave Dumbledore's protection at Hogwarts to try his hand elsewhere.

The remaining teachers tried to instill a since of normalcy in the students. The Champion's Ceremony was scheduled for the end of the week in which Frank would be crowned the Hogwarts' Combat Champion.

'Seems kind of meaningless now, don't you think?' Frank sighed as they sat down for dinner the night before the ceremony.

Alice shook her head fiercely. 'Don't talk like that,' she said. 'Remember what James said to you back in second year?' she asked, causing everyone to look at her in slight confusion. 'The world outside might be going to hell in a cauldron, but we can't forget to enjoy our lives while we can.'

James raised an eyebrow. 'You remembered that?'

Alice looked at him and shrugged. 'That was the day you brought Frank back to us,' she said while she reached out and squeezed Frank's hand, causing him to smile. 'It's not something I'll forget any time soon,' she added with an appreciative look back at James.

James felt his cheeks go slightly red and he suddenly focussed on his chicken and potatoes in front of him. He glanced up to see Lily Evans was looking at him with that very Lily look—the one that was equal parts knowing and amazed.

'I, for one, am going to be happy to have an excuse to party,' declared Sirius. 'Come on, we can't all mope around all the time. So Voldemort's out there, so what? Everyone dies sometime. That's no excuse not to have a good time until you do.'

Peter snorted. 'That's a big vote of confidence.'

Sirius shrugged. 'It's reality,' he said. 'D'you think most of those Aurors headed out that night knowing they weren't going to come back?'

When Peter looked somewhat green after that, Remus lightly tapped Sirius' arm. 'You were saying about a party?' he asked.

'Yeah,' Sirius said, oblivious to how he had just been manipulated. 'We don't have any exams this year, we're pretty much coasting until the summer. We haven't had any Quidditch Cups to celebrate, or pranks for that matter,' he added with a wink.

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'Is that an admission?' she asked.

'Don't know what you're talking about,' James said with a grin, causing everyone around to chuckle as well.

Sirius shrugged. 'So we should throw a party. We need to celebrate Longbottom winning the Championship, and James getting the better of Rochefort once again.'

James sighed. 'Sirius, that wasn't exactly the main focus of that night.'

'It should be,' Sirius said fiercely. 'Focus on the positive.' James sighed and glared at him, but Sirius shrugged. 'What did I say at the start of the year?' he said. 'Voldemort wants us to be running scared. The best way I know how to combat that is to have a damn good time. And if there's one thing I know how to do, it's to have a good time.'

Lily snorted. 'Your idea of a good time is hexing Sev,' she said.

'Don't knock it until you've tried it, sweetheart,' Sirius said with a roguish wink. Lily rolled her eyes, but Frank and Alice join in Sirius' laughter.

'Any rumblings on your prize?' James asked Frank.

Frank nodded. 'Dorcas said to take the surprise—as if I wasn't going to,' he said. 'She still won't tell me anything, despite my rather uncharacteristic begging and pleading,' he added with a chuckle. 'But I'll fill you guys in as soon as I know.'

'What if they forbid you?' Alice asked worriedly.

Frank squeezed her hand now. 'You think there's anything that I could ever keep from you?' he asked.

'How romantic,' Sirius said dryly. 'Speaking of which, where's Marlene…' he mused and he got up to his feet in search of her.

Frank followed him with his gaze down the bench and then looked at James. 'How are those two doing?' he asked softly.

James shrugged. 'Beats me,' he said. 'Their relationship almost seems built on being somewhat…angsty with each other.'

'Sounds an awful lot like someone else I know,' Frank said, his eyes flitting to Lily who blinked and then flushed furiously.

'We are—Potter and I are not in a _relationship_,' she said in a rush.

Alice smirked. 'Maybe you ought to change that,' she said.

'How about we change the subject, instead?' Lily muttered.

Remus seized the opportunity. 'I was thinking it might be a good idea to start reviewing our course selections for next year,' he said excitedly. 'You know we take our OWLS next year.'

Peter rolled his eyes. 'Leave it to you to bring homework into the mix,' he muttered.

'I think it's great that Remus is planning ahead,' Lily said loftily. 'What courses will you be taking to OWL level, Potter?' she asked.

James rubbed his chin. 'I guess that depends on what you pick,' he said.

'What do you mean?' she asked, wrinkling her nose in confusion.

James grinned. 'I intend to be wherever you are next year, Evans. So picking all the same classes as you seems like a good start.'

Lily goggled at him. 'You've got to be kidding,' she said.

'Not even a little,' James replied with a wink.

Frank looked thoughtful. 'All the major courses, of course—Potions, Defense, Transfiguration, Charms…everything I need to be an Auror.'

'The Academy could sure use you, Frank,' Remus said sincerely.

Alice clutched Frank's hand again. 'That's what I'll be doing, too,' she said.

'What about you, Remus?' Frank asked.

Remus smiled. 'I still hadn't given too much thought as to what I'd like to do for a career,' he said. 'I was actually thinking of adding Muggle Studies to my plate, and maybe even Care of Magical Creatures. Keep my options open.'

'You should be a teacher,' Peter said.

'Yeah, maybe you could break the jinx on the Defense position,' James said with a grin.

Remus laughed. 'It would take an awful lot for me to have to consider that,' he said in an amused tone of voice. 'I can't really picture any of the other teachers retiring.'

'Hogwarts would crumble without McGonagall and Flitwick,' Peter said with a nod.

'Slughorn could take a hike,' James muttered and they all laughed once again. They continued to banter back and forth until dinner dismissed and they made their way back to their dormitories. James' parents had returned to Godric's Hollow the day after they had been discharged to start repairing their house. Confirming what they already knew, the Ministry could no longer spare the resources to have their house under surveillance, so they were taking a slightly more unconventional approach to home defense by arming it with defensive charms and spells. Professor Flitwick had advised them on some choice ones to use.

Dorcas had also gone back to Appleby to be with Cresswell, but she had pledged to be back the day of the ceremony, as had Cresswell himself. With that to look forward to, everyone's spirits seemed to be relatively lifted in the Gryffindor common room.

'You seen any of the Slytherins since the end of the Combat Championship?' Sirius asked. The four of them were sitting by the fire. Remus was reading a small pamphlet—a guide to selecting classes for the fifth year, while the rest were idly conversing.

'Not up close,' James said.

Sirius shook his head. 'You know that ickle Reggie keeps trying to convince me I've got Voldemort sorted all wrong?' he muttered.

'How does he explain what happened in Godric's Hollow?' James asked in exasperation.

Sirius looked as if he was trying to recall. 'Something about how it was all Rochefort, and Voldemort can hardly be blamed for the lunatics who sympathize with him but go to insane lengths to achieve his goals,' he muttered.

'What about when Dumbledore fought with Voldemort?' Remus asked.

'He's got excuses for everything,' Sirius said darkly. 'Said if Dumbledore appeared in front of you at that point, who wouldn't feel threatened?'

'That's insane,' James said fiercely.

Sirius sighed. 'That's my blood brother. Bought right into my parents' pure blood mania, too soft not to,' he said with a dark look on his face.

'Well, you don't have to deal with that anymore,' James said bracingly. 'Starting this summer, you get to come live with us.'

Sirius' face brightened considerably. 'Can't wait,' he said. 'Imagine all the practice we can get done on our—er—project,' he said meaningfully, as Mary McDonald had just walked by.

'I'd almost forgotten about that,' Peter said.

'We haven't had much time to practice this year,' James said. 'But I think we should really devote a lot of time to it this summer.'

Remus sighed without looking up from his pamphlet. 'You know you can stop this at any time?' he asked. 'I still don't know how comfortable I am with the thought of you lot breaking the law for me,' he said.

'Please,' Sirius snorted derisively. 'Remember what Fletcher said? There's always a time when any law can be reasonably broken.'

This was perhaps the only thing that could have caused Remus to look up in surprise. 'That's it?' he asked dully. 'After all the good, moral Defense teachers we've had, you're taking a lesson from the only proven criminal on the roster?'

James shrugged. 'We can take Madam Bones' advice instead,' he said with a raised eyebrow.

Remus sighed. 'Oh fine. Good point, well made,' he muttered as James, Sirius and Peter exchanged grins.

'You're going to have to come join us as soon as you can,' James said firmly.

Peter nodded. 'I think my parents are wanting to go travelling for a bit, but I should be able to come around after,' he said. 'Mary also wanted to meet up over the summer.'

Sirius raised his eyebrows. 'McDonald, eh?' he asked.

Peter flushed. 'It's not like that,' he said hastily.

James leaned back in his chair. 'Tell us how it is, Peter,' he said lazily. 'I think we've missed a few details given the pact you two made in the championship.'

Peter turned red. 'We're just good friends,' he said. 'We talk about a lot, and we have a lot in common.'

'Like what?' Sirius asked interestedly.

Peter frowned. 'I—I don't know—'

'Come on, Peter, we're your friends,' Sirius pushed.

Peter sighed and stared at the ground. 'It's embarrassing.'

'Then don't feel the need to say it,' Remus said kindly.

'Bullpats! Come on, Peter, out with it,' Sirius said.

Peter sighed. 'We're both…at the bottom of the food chain,' he said in an embarrassed whisper.

James frowned. 'What do you mean?'

'She can't really contend with how skilled Lily, Marlene and Alice are and…and I can't really contend with you lot,' he said, turning red again.

Sirius grimaced, glancing at James. Remus pretended to be thoroughly engrossed in his pamphlet, leaving James to clear this up. 'Peter, listen to me,' he said and his friend looked up. 'That is just not true, mate.'

'I'm not saying I don't like it—you three are the smartest in our year,' he said.

'Don't sell yourself short,' James said softly. 'You're practicing to become an Animagi too, remember? How many wizards can do that?'

'But I haven't done it yet,' Peter said.

'But you will,' Sirius added bracingly. 'You've made progress, just like the rest of us have.'

James pointed at the pamphlet Remus was reading. 'Being good at academics is good and all, Peter, but it's not the end of the world. There are plenty of other ways to be useful and to be a good wizard. And you've got a lot of that. So does McDonald.'

'It doesn't feel like I've got that,' Peter muttered.

'Hey, you almost made it to the Final Eight in the Combat Championship,' Sirius said. 'Moony didn't get there!'

Remus looked up indignantly. 'I was ambushed!' he said defensively.

'And Peter wasn't,' Sirius said with a smirk.

Remus muttered darkly as he looked back down at his book, but Peter looked somewhat mollified. 'You were also the only one to think ahead and make a backup plan,' James said encouragingly after a moment. 'None of us thought of that.'

'Thanks, guys,' Peter said, looking happier.

Sirius clapped his hands together. 'So. How about we plan that party for tomorrow?'


	50. Amendments and Meetings

50

The dining hall had been dressed up for the occasion. The tables were pushed over to the side, leaving a vast area of open floor for the stages that had been erected. Banners representing the four houses of Hogwarts hung from the ceiling, fluttering back and forth as though a wind were blowing through the room.

The students had been divided into lines according to their house, their year, and finally alphabetical order. James was closest to Peter, who was still a ways away from him. Sirius was off near the upper front of the room, and Remus was at the very back of his line. James found himself hoping that they would not be forced to stand there for long.

Dumbledore stepped up to the stage and smiled at the gathered students. There were a few honored guests for the ceremony, one of which was Dolores Umbridge. Whereas before her gaze had always been fixed upon him, he now noticed with some amusement that she was glaring daggers at Lily Evans. Lily would periodically look over at her and smile sweetly, which seemed to cause the Ministry employee no small amount of discomfit.

A far more likeable guest was Madam Bones, who was standing a little behind Dumbledore on the stage. The rest of the faculty were assembled and wearing their dress robes, with Professor Fletcher being notably absent after taking his leave from the school.

'Good evening, and thank you all for coming,' Dumbledore said. 'The Hogwarts Combat Championship certainly lived up to its name, with students of all ages and backgrounds battling for the ultimate prize. Impressive teamwork was shown,' he gave a polite nod to the Slytherins who looked back at him gloomily, 'and many of you displayed incredible grace under pressure. It is therefore somewhat bittersweet that only one person can win this event when so many of you displayed such extraordinary prowess.

'But perhaps it was a testament to you yourselves that the eventual champion was not crowned as the result of a bitter, hard-fought duel, but as the result of an understanding amongst friends and allies to choose the person they felt would best represent them as champion,' Dumbledore said, his eyes floating over James as he said so. 'So it is with distinct pride and pleasure that I invite Mr. Frank Longbottom up to the stage.'

Gryffindor house erupted into applause, while Huffelpuff and Ravenclaw houses applauded politely with a few notable exceptions such as Edgar Bones whistling through their fingers in approval. As seemed to be their custom, the Slytherins stood stock still, refusing to acknowledge a victor that belonged to another house. James caught Severus Snape smirking at him, and he knew what thoughts were going through his head—he was happy that James had not won. James simply smirked back, comfortable in his own knowledge that he, just like the others, had chosen their own way of exiting the game.

Frank bounded up to the stage where he shook the proffered hand of Dumbledore as well as Madam Bones. Umbridge shook his hand rather stiffly as well.

'Well, Mr. Longbottom,' Dumbledore said. 'You now face the choice of your prize. On the one hand, you have the option of ten thousand galleons,' he said, and he waved his arm to allow a pile of galleons to appear on the side of the stage. An audible gasp erupted from the student body, and James couldn't help but be impressed—seeing the money there, neatly stacked on top of itself, truly hammered home just how much it was. 'On the other hand…there is a mystery,' Dumbledore said.

Frank appeared to deliberate the point for a moment. 'I'll take the mystery,' he said. Polite applause rose up from some circles, cheers from those who understood the choice Frank had made, but there was also a loud chorus of amazement from several corners of the hall, from students who simply could not believe Frank was turning his nose up at such a vast quantity of money.

'Very well,' Dumbledore said with a smile, and with another wave the money disappeared. He clasped Frank's hand and lifted it for the hall to see. 'Your Hogwarts Combat Champion, Mr. Frank Longbottom!' he declared.

An hour or so later, Gryffindor's common room had been decorated with a rather expertly crafted poster depicting Frank Longbottom's visage. It was a far more aesthetically pleasing rendition of the one Sirius, Remus and Peter had crafted for James' trial at the start of the year. The reasoning for that was readily apparent as Alice took a bow for creating it. 'I owe it to James, really,' he said. 'The mural you stuck on Lily's bunk is what gave me the idea.'

James laughed as Lily rolled her eyes. 'Any luck getting that off, Evans?' he asked coyly.

'Very funny,' Lily said as she made herself comfortable in a chair by the fire.

'That would be a no,' Alice whispered as she looked at her watch. 'The Twins should be back any moment with the entertainment.'

Remus frowned. 'I still don't know how smart it was to send them to Hogsmeade…if we get caught, we'll be in awful trouble.'

'True, but they reasoned that if the Death Eaters knew about the secret passages into the school, they would have made use of them already,' Alice said.

'First Evans breaks rules, now you, Dearborn?' James asked.

Alice shrugged. 'You only live once,' she declared.

'Do you think Hogsmeade visits will be allowed again next year?' Peter asked.

Sirius shook his head. 'I doubt it,' he said darkly. 'Even when the Ministry could protect it, they still had to cancel them. Now…' he trailed off.

'Wonder when Frank's getting back?' James asked a little loudly in a somewhat transparent attempt to change the subject. After the ceremony, Frank had been whisked away by Dumbledore, presumably to be told about 'the surprise'.

Alice rubbed her hands together. 'I can't wait to hear what he says,' she said excitedly. 'It's all so mysterious, isn't it?'

'My mother works for the Department of Mysteries,' Peter said with a small laugh. 'Mysteries get overrated pretty quickly.'

James glanced at Sirius. 'So, with a party about to enter full swing, where's Marlene?' he asked.

Sirius nodded to the girls' dormitory. 'Getting ready,' he said. Then he added in a conspiratorial whisper. 'I've heard of Navies that require less time to prepare than she does.'

'What's a Navy…?' James asked quizzically, but at that point, the door to the common room opened. Gideon and Fabian Prewett entered wobbily, each hampered by the absurdly large boxes they were carrying that clattered with the sound of butterbeer bottles as well as firewhisky.

'Are you wizards or not?' Alice asked with a laugh as she waved her wand, the boxes floating into the air and neatly spilling their contents onto a table that Lily had conjured earlier. There was a great cheer from those assembled.

Gideon chuckled as he wiped his brow. 'You don't think we keep these trim physiques just be waving wands, do you Dearborn?' he asked.

'Yes, doing things the muggle way keeps us from getting soggy in the middle. You ought to try it, you look like you could stand to lose a few—' Fabian began, but he ducked quickly when Alice whipped a pillow at his head.

'You watch it, Prewett,' she said but she was smirking.

The door to the girls' dormitory opened and Marlene McKinnon emerged. James had to admit, the time she had devoted to her appearances seemed to have paid sparkling dividends—literally. She seemed to radiate, and James got the rather distinct impression she had bewitched her outfit to glow.

'Oh wow,' Lily said in quiet amazement.

James glanced at Sirius, whose mouth had fallen open. James reached over and closed it for him. 'Before something flies in,' he said with a laugh.

Sirius stumbled across the room in a semi-hypnotized stupor and began talking to Marlene. James shook his head in quiet amazement as he took a seat by the fireplace. It was of little surprise when Mary McDonald appeared at his side. 'Hi James,' she said happily. 'Fancy a drink?'

'Ah, Mary—you know my rule,' James began.

'Yes, you never drink before a Quidditch game,' Mary said coyly. 'And as there's no Quidditch game tomorrow, there's no rule for you to break. Right?'

James sighed and looked over at Lily, who was watching the exchange with some amusement. He mouthed the words 'help me' to her.

Lily glanced at Mary. 'I think Peter would love to join you for a drink, Mary,' she said kindly. Mary turned to see Peter sitting in the corner, idly humming to himself and watching the festivities start to roll. Mary walked off and James breathed a sigh of relief.

'Thanks, I owe you one,' he said.

'I'll keep that in mind,' Lily replied with a chuckle. 'So you never drink, do you?'

James laughed. 'Someone has to be responsible for the Marauders,' he said as he glimpsed Sirius across the room, drinking a rather alarming quantity of Firewhisky along with Marlene. Remus was in deep conversation with Emmeline, which James found somewhat surprising. Alice was still bantering with the Twins by the poster of Frank.

'Leadership suits you,' Lily said after a moment.

James laughed. 'Are you buttering me up for something, Evans?' he asked.

'Maybe,' Lily replied.

'Well, why not cut to the chase then?' James asked.

Lily contemplated that for a moment and nodded. 'Alright then,' she said. 'I think I've been unfair to you, Potter. I'd like to amend the terms of our relationship.'

James blinked, and then raised an eyebrow. 'Shall I contact someone from the Magical Law office to do up a contract? You're making this sound very formal,' he said.

'It's not fair for me to not be friends with you just because I'm friends with someone who doesn't like you,' she went on.

'You mean Snape?' James asked.

'Yes, I mean Severus,' she said politely. 'He's a big boy—and so are you. So I think the two of you can both tolerate and respect the fact that I can choose my own friends.'

James leaned back in his chair. 'Have you had this conversation with him?' she asked.

Lily snorted. 'Not yet,' she replied and James laughed. 'You're my guinea pig, I thought I'd see how this went with you before trying it on him.'

'I'm flattered, Evans,' James replied. 'So what new terms do you propose? Are you finally going to admit that you want to go out with me?'

Lily rolled her eyes, but her cheeks went slightly pink. 'Don't make me re-think this Potter, I haven't fully committed to the decision yet.'

'But why deny yourself the lifetime of happiness going out with me could provide?' James asked semi-seriously.

Lily looked at him steadily. 'Potter, I'm warming up to you. Right now, I'm prepared to be friends with you. Can you live with that?'

James smiled. He was both inordinately happy to hear her propose that, and equally disappointed that that was all she was proposing. 'I can,' he declared.

'On one condition,' she amended.

James laughed. 'Oh, of course there has to be one. Can I guess what it is?'

Lily smiled. 'You don't need to. Lay off Sev.'

James regarded her carefully. 'Lay off…in what way?'

'In every way,' Lily said. 'Potter, you would be doing me a huge favour. Sev is my oldest friend and you—I—you're not bad,' she finished lamely, causing James to laugh. 'But you both have a habit of making my life extremely difficult by always fighting with each other.'

James pursed his lips. 'You realize it's not as easy as that,' he said.

'Now who's making things complicated?' Lily taunted. 'You're always saying how things need to be simpler.'

James nodded. 'Very true, but that's when it's something you can control. I am perfectly capable of leaving Snape alone, but the real question here is whether or not he will be willing to extend the same courtesy. If I'm attacked, Evans, I don't think I'm wrong to say I'm within my rights to defend myself.'

'If you are attacked, yes,' Lily said. 'What I want you to do is not go looking to cause trouble.'

James pursed his lips. 'And if I do that, you'll go out with me?' he asked.

'Be _friends _with you, Potter,' Lily amended fiercely.

James sighed. 'Can't blame me for trying,' he said. 'Alright, you have a deal. I will not look to start anything with Snape, but I will most certainly defend myself if he comes after me. In return, we'll be friends and eventually—with hope—more. Do we have an accord?'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'All except for the last part,' she said as she extended her hand.

James smirked as he took it. 'Keep telling yourself that, Evans,' he said. 'Friends.'

'Friends,' she replied.

They looked at each other for a moment as their hands remained clasped—his hazel eyes gazing into her green ones. For a single moment, it seemed as though the rest of the room melted away and there was just the two of them, holding hands and gazing straight through each other.

Then it passed, and she dropped his hand. 'So, what do friends do?' James asked.

Lily chuckled. 'I don't know. Grab a Butterbeer?'

'Hold that thought,' came the voice of Frank Longbottom as he sat down on the outcropping of the fireplace, Alice at his side. He gestured for the Twins to come over, and they were quickly followed by Marlene, Sirius, Mary, Peter, Remus and Emmeline. 'I hope your calendar is clear this time next week,' he said.

'Why?' Sirius asked excitedly.

Frank smiled. 'We have a meeting,' he declared. 'And you lot are all invited.'


	51. Watches and Hams

51

In spite of their best attempts to pry, Frank remained maddeningly tight lipped over the coming days. He had already received his prize, and he knew full-well what the meeting entailed. They took it in turns trying to get information out of him.

'I think I'd have better chance trying to get a rock to talk to me,' Alice huffed as she sat down at the dinner table on Thursday night. 'He normally tells me everything.'

Sirius chuckled. 'If he won't crack under your pressure, the rest of us don't stand a chance.'

'Well, the meeting is supposed to be tomorrow, right?' Peter said. 'It's not that much longer.'

James rolled his eyes. 'Ice ages have passed slower than this week has, Peter,' he said. 'I'm dying to know what this is all about. I don't think I'm going to be able to sleep tonight.'

Frank sat down at the table a moment later, wearing the same smirk he had adopted for the majority of the week. He glanced around, seeing the expectant looks of everyone seated around him, and he laughed. 'I keep telling you to trust me, that it's going to be worth the wait,' he said in an amused voice.

'Right,' Alice huffed.

'Come on, I've been right about these sorts of things before,' Frank said earnestly.

'Like when?' Alice asked in a scoff.

Frank pursed his lips. 'I seem to recall a certain kiss after a certain Quidditch Cup game,' he said.

Alice turned slightly pink. 'I walked right into that one, didn't I,' she muttered and everyone laughed.

'So how is being friends with Lily Evans treating you, James?' Frank asked in a wildly transparent attempt to change the subject.

James chuckled. 'I'm hoping it's a baby step,' he said.

'Me too,' Alice declared, causing James to look at her in surprise. She shrugged. 'I think you two would be very nice together,' she said. 'And I don't hide the fact that I think Snape is extremely bad news. Frank agrees with me,' she said.

Frank swallowed a bite of his steak. 'I think he is misguided, I didn't say he was bad news,' he said in an attempt to be diplomatic.

Alice snorted. 'That is _not_ what you said. You said if Severus Snape turned out to be anything other than a Death Eater, that you would eat your—'

'Hello, Lily,' Frank said suddenly and Alice stopped in mid-sentence. Lily walked by the table at that moment and she waved at James, motioning for him to follow her.

'Be right there,' James said as he took a large bite of his chicken.

'So how is it being friends with Lily Evans?' Frank asked again.

James wiped his mouth with a napkin as he spoke with his mouth full. 'You fell me fut fis frize is, I'll fell fu fut fits fike,' he mouthed.

'Gesundheit,' Remus said helpfully sending everyone into another round of laughter as James trotted to the end of the table to see Lily.

'Alright, Evans?' he asked pleasantly.

Lily smiled, but it did not slip James' notice that she was doing so nervously. 'Sev wants to talk to you,' she said abruptly, and the smile faltered on James' face. He did his best to recover, but that did not slip Lily's notice either. 'Just to talk, he promises,' she said.

'About what?' James asked.

'I told him the other day about our friendship, and he—well—wants to establish a few ground rules,' Lily said hastily.

'Ground rules?' James echoed. 'This should be good.'

Lily looked at him pleadingly. 'Can you just hear him out?' she said. 'You have no idea how much easier you would make my life if the two of you could just get along,' she said. 'Please?' she added, taking his hand in hers.

Involuntarily, James felt his cheeks go bright red at the gesture. 'I—uh—yeah, sure, I'll just go Sev. I mean talk. To Sev. About you,' he said hastily.

'Thanks,' Lily beamed, dropping his hand again. 'He's just out in the great hall.'

James glanced around. 'Shouldn't we talk here? In front of all these witnesses?' when she raised her eyebrows at him, he laughed. 'I mean people?'

'Just go,' she begged.

'Alright, I'm going,' James said with a sigh and he stepped through the doors. Once they shut behind him, it was as though a barrier had emerged between him and the dining hall—no sound emerged, and he was quite alone in the entrance hall with Severus Snape, who stood several yards ahead of him with his arms folded across his chest. James took a deep breath. _Be nice…Evans wants you to be nice._ 'Alright, Severus?' he asked, the name rolling most unnaturally off his tongue.

Snape's eyes narrowed. 'Snape will do, Potter,' he said.

'Alright then,' James replied. 'What do you want?'

'Lily has made a request of me,' he said stiffly. 'One that I understand carries over to you as well.'

James leaned against the doors. 'Has she, now?' he asked.

Snape slowly began stepping forward, and James resisted the urge to adopt a more defensive posture. 'She has insisted that I do not provoke you into a fight,' he said. 'I understand she has extended you the same rule. With the provision that if you do, she will be your…_friend_,' he said, his voice dripping acid with the word.

'She said something along those lines, yeah,' James said slowly.

'When someone makes a promise to Lily Evans, Potter,' Snape said in a low voice, 'it is best that they keep it.'

James blinked. 'I intend to. Does that mean you will as well?'

Snape smiled grimly. 'Oh yes, Potter. _I _will not provoke _you _into a fight,' he said.

James sighed. 'Always looking for loopholes, aren't you, Snape?' he asked.

'I have told you before, Potter—you are…unhealthy for people around you. The mere appearance of your friendship could be a veritable death sentence if that knowledge is made available to someone with the proper means,' Snape said.

'And I've told you before, Snape, that if you think you can just get Evans to go along with a plan that guarantees her safety while innocent people die, you are severely mistaken,' James replied.

Snape regarded James carefully. 'I'll be watching you,' he said. 'Just because I can't hex you into next week doesn't mean that I won't catch you breaking some sort of rule.'

'Is that a threat?' James asked.

'Why yes, it is,' Snape said, looking satisfied that James had caught on to his fact. 'You think that the rules don't apply to you. And I imagine you are basking in the glow of victory after Lily has declared she actually wants to befriend you,' he sneered. 'But you know as well as I do that she does not place high value on rule breaking.'

James laughed. 'That's hilarious, Snape,' James replied. 'Coming from you, I mean. You think you're a bastion of respectability, do you? With all of your Death Eater friends?'

'You don't even know what you're talking about,' Snape said.

'Oh, I do,' James said severely, and now he did step forward. 'You and I may be forced to put our wands aside for now, Snape. But if you keep going down the path you insist on treading, then I feel obligated to warn you. Our paths will cross in a much, much more real way at some point in the future.'

Snape smirked. 'I'm counting on it,' he taunted.

'You might just want to remember when that happens, which one of us has gone toe to toe with the most dangerous Dark Wizards of our age and walked away,' James said icily.

Snape laughed. 'Your arrogance is revolting,' he said. 'You actually think that you have lived this long by virtue of some sort of skill? That you have some talent that the likes of Rochefort and the Dark Lord do not? You are blinded by your own ignorance and stupidity, Potter. And while you stagger about with that veil over your eyes, the axe will fall upon you one day.'

'Until then, then,' James said.

'Until then, Potter, I'll be watching you,' Snape said. 'One little slip—is all it will take.'

James laughed. 'What, you think if you catch me breaking one rule that Evans will hate me again?'

'Perhaps not. But I can get you expelled,' Snape replied.

'Go ahead and try,' James shot back.

The door opened behind them and they sprung back from one another. James had not even realized that he and Snape had now been standing almost nose to nose. Lily tentatively poked her head out of the door and smiled at them. 'Everything okay?' she asked.

'Just peachy, Evans,' James said with as much bravado as he could muster. 'Talking about you, of course.'

Lily glanced at Snape. 'Sev?' she asked.

'Conversing,' he said stiffly.

'Are we done? Conversing?' James asked, glancing at Snape who glared at him.

'For now,' he said slowly.

'Then let's get back to dinner,' James said and he strolled past Lily through the door, smiling at her as he went but feeling somewhat icy inside as he did so. He went back to his seat at the table and found that now, everyone was staring at him. 'What?' he asked.

Sirius chuckled. 'Well? How did that go?'

'Fine,' James said with a shrug as Lily came and sat down across from him.

'Fine?' Sirius prodded. 'I don't see how you can be fine being civil with Snivellus,' he said with a shudder.

Lily frowned at him. 'Be nice, he's trying to be.'

'Yes, nice,' Sirius said sarcastically.

'It wouldn't hurt if you tried to be friends with him,' Lily pressed.

Sirius nodded. 'I would, you know,' he said airily. 'But I'm afraid that doing so would conflict greatly with the enjoyment of my life,' he said. Much to Lily's chagrin, Alice found this highly amusing.

'Let's get back to grilling Frank, shall we?' Remus suggested diplomatically.

Frank chuckled. 'I keep telling you—it's going to be worth the wait,' he insisted.

'Let's go over what we know,' Marlene intervened as she sat down, inserting herself between Sirius and Remus as Mary and Emmeline joined them as well. 'We know it's a meeting, we know it's tomorrow night. We know all of us are invited.'

'We've been repeating that mantra to ourselves all week,' Mary said with a sigh.

Marlene pointed at James. 'We also know that Dorcas wanted James to win. So whatever this is was initially meant for only one person.'

'Why is that?' Sirius asked.

'Because Dorcas is fond of all of us,' Remus said slowly. 'She could have told any of us that we had to win. But she singled out James.'

Lily looked suddenly uncomfortable. 'Maybe—she fancies him above the rest of us?'

Sirius raised his eyebrows suggestively, but James laughed. 'Come off it,' he said. 'She and Cresswell are inseparable. She's like my sister,' he declared.

Alice looked at Frank, who was still smirking smugly. She looked thoughtful for a moment. 'We've agreed that this has something to do with what Dumbledore has been off doing, right?' she said. Everyone nodded. 'And we agree that whatever it is he's doing, has something to do with stopping Voldemort,' she went on. 'So if this prize was initially meant for just one of us, maybe Dorcas wanted James to win because he's the one with the bulls eye on his forehead,' she said. 'And she wanted him to be the one to know what was going on behind the scenes.'

Remus nodded. 'That seems to follow,' he said. 'So now…with the Aurors having been eviscerated, maybe Dumbledore can't be so choosey?'

Sirius nearly spat his food out. 'Choosey?' he asked.

'I mean selective,' Remus amended.

Sirius shook his head. 'Moony, the walking, talking dictionary, decides to pick 'choosey'…' he said causing Peter to laugh hysterically.

'Why do they call you Moony?' Frank asked curiously.

Remus turned pink, but it was James that swung in. 'A prank in our first year,' he said easily. 'We asked Peter to go look at the moon out of a ground floor window. We had Moony here waiting outside to give him the—er—pressed hams,' he said with a smirk.

'Pressed hams?' Marlene asked in confusion.

'He dropped his pants,' Sirius leapt in with a deadpan tone. Remus flushed even redder as everyone laughed. He glanced up at James and mouthed 'thank you', and James winked back at him. He then caught Lily's eye and she was chuckling as well.

_I could get used to this,_ James thought as he smiled at Lily.


	52. Names and Indoctrinations

52

The ceiling of James' four poster stared back down at him, unmoving, unknowing and unrelenting. James frowned as he stared up at it. For how long he had been laying there in his bed, desperately trying to clear his mind so he could get some sleep, he was not sure. He had tried everything. Counting broomsticks in his head, tossing and turning into more comfortable positions, replaying good memories over in his mind, but it was always hijacked by his burning curiosity. What was the meeting tomorrow (or was it now today?) about.

James sat up and peered out of the curtains of his four poster. His alarm clock stared back at him—half past four. _At least it's today now, _he thought grumpily. With a sigh, he heaved himself out of bed and snatched his glasses off the little night table next to the head of his bed. He was just putting them on his face when he heard a shuffle behind him.

'James?' came Sirius' voice. 'That you?'

'Yeah. Couldn't sleep,' James whispered.

Sirius emerged from his four poster. While James was clad in tasteful pajamas, Sirius wore nothing but his underwear. He quickly remedied that by kicking open his trunk and scouring it for clothes. 'Thank Merlin,' he said. 'I was beginning to think I'd have to lie there all night pretending to try and sleep,' he said, grinning through the darkness at James.

'Me too,' Remus chimed in and the curtains on his four poster opened. James fought off the urge to laugh—Remus was sitting there in his full school robes, his wand alight and an open textbook spread on his mattress. 'Nox,' Remus said and his wand light went out.

Peter flopped out of his bed with a loud thud. 'Me three,' he grunted as he pulled himself to his feet.

'Quite a sight we are,' James mused as they chuckled quietly in the dark. 'Should we go down to the common room? I think sleeping is off the table at this point,' he said.

They padded quietly out of the dormitory and down into the common room. Long ago deserted of students who had turned in for the night, the room was empty and cavernous as usual. The fireplace still contained glowing red embers that fizzled and popped periodically, providing a warm orange glow for the chairs gathered around it. It was here that James, Sirius, Remus and Peter sat. A quick glance at the window revealed that the sky was turning a darker shade of blue—sunrise was not far off.

'Today's the day,' Peter said brightly.

'Frank could have saved us a lot of trouble by just spilling the beans,' Sirius grunted.

'I've been thinking about that,' Remus said suddenly.

James laughed. 'When have you had the time to think about things, Moony?' he asked.

Remus cocked an eyebrow. 'We've just been laying in bed for four and a half hours trying to sleep. Where did your mind wander to, James?' he asked.

Sirius sat up straight and raised his hand in mock-student fashion. 'I know, Professor!' he said in a high pitched voice. 'What's red, green, female and positively volatile?'

James whipped a pillow at Sirius who ducked and made a face at him. They all laughed, James included. 'Oh yeah? Do I need to wonder which girl you were preoccupied with?'

Sirius grinned. 'Changes by the minute, James,' he said with a grin.

'Don't let Marlene catch you saying that,' Peter muttered.

Sirius' face momentarily darkened. 'Tell her that,' he said. 'She—er—called me somebody else's name yesterday.'

Silence met this statement. Remus' eyes had gone wide, but he was trying to avoid looking at Sirius straight on. James and Peter were far less cohesive, their jaws dropping simultaneously as they looked at Sirius. 'What were you doing at the time?' Peter whispered.

'Excellent tact, Peter,' James sighed.

'Well—you know—snogging,' Sirius said uncomfortably.

'What did she call you?' Peter asked, ignoring the scathing glares he received from Remus and James as he did so.

Sirius sighed. 'Davey,' he muttered.

'Gudgeon?' James asked incredulously.

'But they broke up ages ago, after your stunt on the tower,' Remus said, his brow wrinkled in confusion.

Sirius shrugged. 'I know, I don't think she's been running off to see him again but—well—that wasn't very fun,' he said rather lamely.

James looked at him sympathetically. 'Sorry, mate,' he said quietly.

'What happened next?' Peter asked.

'I swear, Peter, I'm going to shove my socks in your mouth—' James began tersely, but Sirius started talking and he instantly fell silent.

'I just left,' he said. 'It was before dinner. You know she arrived after me, and I just kind of sat there awkwardly until we could leave. She certainly didn't seem put off by it at the table,' he said sadly.

Remus pursed his lips. 'Girls can be like that though, mate—they're kind of like ducks.'

Everyone looked at Remus in confusion. 'Are you taking the mickey, Moony?' James asked.

'Let me explain,' Remus said. 'Ducks are calm on the surface, but always fiercely paddling underneath. Understand?'

'Yes…' Sirius said slowly.

Remus smiled. 'Girls are the same way,' he said. 'Marlene might have _appeared _calm on the surface, but I would gather there was rather a lot of—er—_legwork_ going on underneath.'

James shook his head. 'Where do you come up with this stuff?' he mused.

'So you think she's embarrassed but not showing it?' Peter asked.

'Precisely,' Remus replied. 'Just like last summer when she started going out with Davey but she was clearly not over Sirius.'

Sirius threw up his hands in exasperation. 'So what? You think the shoe's on the other foot now, and she'd rather be going out with Davey?'

Remus pursed his lips. 'Not necessarily. It could be an innocent slip of the tongue,' he observed.

Sirius muttered darkly. 'Don't mention tongues, Marlene and Gudgeon in the same sentence,' he said.

James smiled tentatively. 'What are you going to do about it?' he asked.

'I dunno,' Sirius muttered. 'I just want summer to get here. We can clear off and do our own thing. Girls are crazy,' he said.

Remus clapped Sirius on the shoulder. 'Maybe not the entire summer, but some time could be good. Give you a chance to clear your head so you don't say something impulsive.'

'When have I ever been impulsive?' Sirius said irritably. Everyone paused and then they simultaneously burst out laughing.

'Heads up,' Peter said suddenly, pointing over James' shoulder. He turned to see Lily Evans standing there, clad in a bathrobe over a nightgown.

'Alright, Evans?' James asked pleasantly, sliding over on his couch to make room for her.

Lily sat down shaking her head. 'I was trying to sleep and I got tired of staring at your face plastered to the ceiling of my four poster,' she said mutinously.

James grinned. 'You love it,' he said.

'I do _not_,' Lily replied, but she was smirking. 'Then I heard you lot galumphing around. I figured if I had to be stuck staring at your face, I might as well do it in person,' she said.

Remus smiled. 'Would you like some help removing the sticking charm?' he asked.

'Oi!' James said indignantly. 'Whose side are you on?'

Remus laughed. 'Come on, James, it's been there for several months now.'

'And it will remain there until Evans confesses her true feelings for me,' James said smugly. When she rolled her eyes, he smirked. 'I'll settle in the meantime for a simple acknowledgement of my superior charms ability.'

Lily's jaw dropped as Sirius roared with laughter. 'You think you're better than me at Charms?' she asked.

'Two months of my face on your bed would seem to agree with me,' James replied.

Lily shook her head. 'Oh, you're going to rue this day, Potter,' she muttered.

Peter beamed. 'I like you two a lot more as friends,' he said. 'I'm not constantly worrying if I'm going to get caught in a cross fire.'

Lily laughed, a pleasant tinkling sound. 'Oh I don't know about that, Peter,' she said kindly. 'That may yet happen. Especially if Potter here keeps declaring himself better than me at certain courses.'

'Oh, I never said I was better than you at certain courses,' James said.

'Oh?' Lily replied.

'No, I'm better than you at _all_ of them,' James added with another laugh.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'Right. Well, _you're _having a laugh,' she muttered. 'Meanwhile, back in this little place called reality—what are you lot doing up this early?'

'Same thing as you, I'd imagine,' Remus said.

'Couldn't sleep,' Peter clarified.

Lily sighed. 'It's the same up in our dormitory. Only—' her eyes suddenly flicked to Sirius worriedly.

He smiled grimly. 'Only Marlene didn't want to come down at the sound of my voice, right?' he said.

'She wouldn't tell me what's happened,' Lily said.

'Well, we'll leave it at that, then,' Sirius said with a sigh. Lily looked at him sympathetically but did not press the point. 'Any new theories in Girl Land about the meeting?' Sirius asked casually.

Lily shrugged. 'The usual. Got to be something against Voldemort. They started speculating about who else is going to be there,' she said.

'Who do they figure?' Remus asked.

'Dorcas seems to be a lock,' Lily said, her eyes flicking to James in an odd way. 'Given that she was the first one to start dropping hints, she must be there.'

James nodded. 'If she is, then I'd imagine Cresswell would be,' he said.

'Dumbledore, of course, and then all of us,' Lily added.

Peter nodded. 'Caradoc Dearborn and Edgar Bones are coming as well,' he said. 'They were both invited, too.'

'Maybe Madam Bones, then?' Remus asked thoughtfully.

'Could be,' James said. 'Unless she's too busy at the Ministry. If she's not, I wonder about Crouch and Moody, too?'

'Or Umbridge,' Sirius said darkly.

Lily snorted. 'Good, I'd love another go at her,' she said acidly causing James to laugh.

'Evans, you have provided a lifetime of highlights for me to play over in my head. Your smack down of Mulciber, cold cocking Umbridge…' he sighed dreamily as he stared up at the ceiling.

Remus smiled diplomatically. 'As much trouble as she's caused, I'm glad she's not in any real trouble,' she said.

'Fancy getting into some?' Sirius mused.

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'What are you talking about?' she asked.

'That should stay secret—' Remus began, but he relented under Lily's inquisitive gaze. 'I know nothing,' he mumbled, causing James and Sirius to burst out laughing.

'What are you lot planning?' Lily asked.

James and Sirius exchanged a glance. 'You realize, Evans, that if we tell you what you want to know, you will have been indoctrinated into the brotherhood of the Marauders.'

'An honorary brother, if you will,' Sirius said with a wink.

'As long as I don't become indoctrinated with the smell of you, I think I can manage,' Lily sniffed causing Remus to burst out laughing, a fact which was exacerbated when Sirius absurdly tried to stick his nose into his armpit to smell himself.

James shook his head in amusement. 'First thing's first. This is by no way an admission of guilt for any pranks you may or may not be aware of, past, present or yet to be undertaken. Clear?'

'Now who's making things formal?' Lily said coyly.

'We're going to get Umbridge,' Sirius said excitedly. Peter, Remus and James sighed and looked at him. 'What? If I'm impulsive, I may as well enjoy it,' he defended.

Lily frowned. 'What do you mean get her?'

'We're going to prank her as soon as the opportunity presents itself,' James replied.

Lily bit her lip. 'Is that a good idea?'

'Was punching her?' James pressed.

'I'd say so,' Lily relented.

'Then it's settled,' Sirius declared. 'We could always use a Marauder of your talents, Lily.'

Lily snorted. 'I'm flattered. So…what do you have in mind? Dropping her off the astronomy tower?' she asked sarcastically.

'Like I said, Evans—no admissions of guilt,' James said with a chuckle.

Now Sirius looked dreamy. 'Although whichever magnificent men pulled that off were obviously very talented. And handsome,' he added after a moment.

Peter smiled. 'Good memories,' he said.

James glanced over at Lily—she was smiling and laughing with them genuinely, and he was amazed at how natural it felt for the five of them to sit together, talking and laughing. Even though they were very barely skating over the fact that they had quite profoundly pranked her best friend, she had softened on that front as she was now indulging them in their amusement at it.

_So what is it?_, James found himself wondering. _Am I just growing on her? Or is she growing wary of Snape?_


	53. Information and Orders

53

The day passed at an excruciatingly slow pace. With no exams and the Combat Championship behind them, their classes were now almost exclusive devoted to the discussions of the OWL Exams that would be taking place the following year. While Professor Slughorn merely told tall tales of his terrible study habits—including a competition wherein he challenged his fellow students to consuming an entire bottle of Firewhisky the night before exams and then trying to study while his was actually filled with colored water—Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Sprout were far more business like. Professor Dumbledore had filled in for their Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and had provided some very interesting insight into the various careers that one could move on to if they scored well in both their OWL and NEWT level in that course.

But most of the hushed discussion centered around the decimated Auror's office. It was now common knowledge that they had nearly been destroyed the night of the attack in Godric's Hollow. While several prominent members had survived the ambush—notably Alastor Moody, who was now head of the Department under Bartemius Crouch—they were desperate for recruits.

'I hear they might make a special exception and draft seventh years straight out of school,' Frank said that evening at dinner, causing Alice to look at him in alarm. He smiled calmly at her. 'I'm not leaving the school before we're both done, don't worry,' he said as he reached over and squeezed her hand.

Remus swallowed a mouthful of chicken and frowned. 'What about other Ministries?' he asked. 'We have a Department of International Magical Co-Operation. What about the French, or the Czechs?'

Sirius chuckled. 'Or the Americans—they always seem to be spoiling for a rumble.'

Frank smiled slyly. 'Funny, I think you'll get an answer to that question within the hour,' he mused.

Peter whimpered. 'Can't you just tell us?'

'It's almost here,' Frank said as Alice rolled her eyes. 'Come on, we finish dinner and then we're off to the meeting. The wait will be worth it.'

Lily sighed from where she sat next to James. He was most pleased with her new choice in seating arrangement, although James did notice that Snape continued shooting him venomous stares from across the dining hall. 'And what if it isn't worth it, Frank?' she asked. 'What do we get from you in return?'

Frank chuckled. 'It will be worth it, believe me,' he said.

They ate in relatively nervous silence and then dinner disbursed. Sirius checked his watch and smiled excitedly at everyone—the time was finally upon them. 'Where to?' he asked. They had entered the main hall—James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Lily, Frank, Alice, Marlene, Mary and Emmeline all stood together. They were quickly joined by Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Caradoc Dearborn and Edgar Bones.

'Dumbledore's office,' Frank said.

Lily frowned. 'Really? Are we all going to fit?'

James elbowed her softly. 'Are we wizards or what?' he mused. 'Extension charms.'

They all began to walk, talking excitedly as they went until they reached the gargoyle guarding the entrance. Frank stepped forward. 'Whisky Nougat,' he said firmly and the gargoyle sprang aside. They funneled into the spiral staircase as it was not wide enough to admit them all at once. Silence fell over them as Frank lead the way and opened the door into Dumbledore's office.

James was right, it had been extended—and it was a good thing it had been, because they were not the only guests who had been invited. James grinned as his eyes first fell on Dorcas Meadowes, who waved casually from where she stood near where Dumbledore's desk usually was—it was now at the far end of a long room which now accommodated a massive table. Sitting at the table, his head buried in his hands, was Mundungus Fletcher, whom James had not seen since before the Combat Championship had begun.

They moved into the room to accommodate the rest of the students coming up the stairs. Dumbledore himself stood off the nearest side of the table, with Professor McGonagall standing close by. Hagrid stood by a chair smiling at them, and James started when he saw Alastor Moody there, more gnarled and beat up then ever. His face had cracked into what James guessed was his approximation of a smile, although truth be told, it only served to make him look more menacing. It was a smile like poison come to supper.

There were still other faces, many of which James did not recognize. A rather shabby looking old man with a long beard and piercing, familiar blue eyes. A pair of older men stood, looking at them in curiosity.

'Welcome,' Dumbledore said. 'We've been waiting for you.'

Frank turned and grinned at them all. 'Shall we have a sit down?'

Dumbledore waved his wand and comfortable chairs sprung into being around the table. James and Sirius exchanged a glance and sat down next to each other, Remus and Peter sitting down on Sirius' other side as Lily sat next to James. Frank and Alice took a seat on the opposite side of the table, with Caradoc placing himself down next to his sister. Gideon and Fabian sat next to Hagrid, clapping him on opposing shoulders as they did so. Edgar Bones sat down next to Dorcas, and everyone else took their seats.

'So—here we are, gathered at last,' Dumbledore said. 'First, I think a few introductions are in order for some of the faces that you may not know. I hope I am correct in assuming everyone here knows Ms. Dorcas Meadowes?' Dorcas waved from her seat. 'So let us move on. You may recognize Aberforth,' Dumbledore's eyes flickered to James with a smile, 'from the Hog's Head. He owns the establishment, and he is my brother.'

Everyone's heads whipped around at this news to stare at the unkempt man sitting at the end of the table. He stared back at Dumbledore with an unreadable expression.

'Here we have Elphias Doge and Dedalus Diggle,' Dumbledore continued, indicating the two older men who sat together, 'and this is Benjy Fenwick. You may recognize him from his many well publicized dueling contests.'

James was familiar with the name—the young man waved casually at them. He was something of a legend in dueling circles, having won numerous contests and captured many championships both in England and abroad.

Dumbledore then went around the circle introducing each of the students. Once he had finished, he leaned forward in his chair. 'Now, with the exception of Mr. Longbottom, you must be wondering why you are here. Over a year ago, it became apparent that the Ministry was beginning to get overwhelmed when it came to opposing the criminal who calls himself Lord Voldemort. To augment and assist the Ministry, I have formed this…organization which is designed with the sole purpose of opposing Voldemort. We do this in a variety of ways.' He indicated Fletcher, whose face was still buried in the table. 'Some provide information,' he then indicated Benjy Fenwick, 'while some provide more practical combative means to assist in the capture of Voldemort's followers. But our prime objective is staying one step ahead of him at all times, and eventually working to bring about his downfall.'

James looked at Sirius, who was grinning excitedly back at him.

'How do you intend to do that?' Lily asked from James' other side.

Dumbledore smiled. 'In recent weeks, the Ministry has become even more shorthanded,' he said with a glance at Moody who scowled. 'While I do not like to use the term soldiers, it is now becoming important to have as many able bodied young witches and wizards as possible join us in the battle against Voldemort.'

'So we're going to fight?' Edgar Bones asked.

'Not yet,' Dumbledore replied. 'Many of you are still too young. I can not—and would not—request that you fight. For the moment, your role will simply be to be given information. You will be kept informed of what Voldemort is up to and what means we are proposing to stop him. Your input will be welcomed—you have all exhibited great intelligence under pressure, and we are honored to share this table with you.'

Caradoc cleared his throat. 'What if we're of age?'

'Then, of course, the decision on whether or not to fight will be yours,' Dumbledore said.

'Wicked,' the Prewetts chimed in as one.

'What do you call yourselves?' Sirius asked curiously.

Dorcas chuckled. 'I suggested Dumbledore's Army. He didn't like that very much.'

Fawkes the Phoenix crowed from where he sat at the far end of the hall on Dumbledore's desk. Dumbledore himself chuckled. 'I admire the sentiment, Ms. Meadowes, but this organization is bigger than simply myself.'

'I think there is something that you all need to understand,' Professor McGonagall said, leaning forward from where she sat. 'We must impress this upon you. The numbers and the odds are most certainly not in our favor at this time,' she said gravely. 'You Know Who has gathered all manner of numbers and dark creatures at his disposal, and with the destruction of the Auror's office, an escalation to full out combat would be deadly.'

Remus frowned. 'So how do we intend to fight them?'

'Guerilla warfare,' Moody grunted. 'The Death Eaters don't just move around as one big, glorious whole. We need to intercept them when they go on one of their little parties.'

'What sort of parties?' Peter asked.

Moody laughed darkly. 'Muggle torture seems to be their favorite past-time,' he said. James saw Lily's knuckles clench out of the corner of his eye. 'Seems like every day almost that they're going out and killing, maiming or torturing them.'

Fenwick sighed. 'It's like taking candy from children for them. The muggles are defenseless.'

'And the Ministry won't do anything about it,' Dorcas said fiercely.

'Can't,' Dumbledore amended softly. 'The Ministry's resources are already spread to their breaking point by all that has happened.'

James glanced at Frank. 'What was it that you were saying about the Department of International Magical Co-Operation?' he asked.

Frank looked at Moody. 'Where did you get on that, Mr. Moody?'

Moody grunted. 'Nowhere. And I think we know why,' he said heavily. When everyone looked at him expectantly, he laughed darkly once more. 'The Imperius Curse,' he said.

'Surely not!' McGonagall gasped.

Dumbledore sighed. 'That would make sense,' he said heavily.

'Well—can't you prove it? Eliminate whoever it is?' James asked incredulously.

Moody chuckled. 'Think about it a little more deeply, Potter,' he growled. 'Someone placed that curse upon the people in that department. Someone who wanted to prevent us getting outside help. If we can do a little of the reverse, it could work to our advantage.'

'You mean placing them under the curse ourselves?' Lily asked.

'Merlin's Beard, no,' Moody replied. 'We can find out who sent them. And we know who these people are who have been Imperiused. Right now, the other side thinks they've got covert agents. If we take them out, then maybe they get someone in another department and maybe this time we don't know who it is,' he said.

Alice shook her head sadly. 'This is madness,' she muttered.

'This is war,' Dumbledore said softly. 'The purpose of tonight is to bring you up to speed on just how grim the situation is, and how much worse it is getting. It is far, far more dire than any news you would have heard in public.'

Peter looked green again. 'You can say that, alright,' he mumbled.

'This is not a draft, however,' Dumbledore went on. 'You all have the decision to either join us, or not. You will not be forced to join. However, should you wish to leave, a charm will be placed upon you to bind you from speaking of this to anyone else.' Everyone nodded at this and Dumbledore spread his hands. 'So? Does anyone wish to leave?' No one moved. Dumbledore smiled softly. 'Thank you,' he said.

James cleared his throat. 'Well, first thing's first if we're members and all. I think we need a name.'

Lily snorted. 'Like the Marauders?' she chided.

Sirius took his turn to scoff. 'No way, that's ours,' he declared.

'I liked Dorcas' suggestion,' Remus said. 'Dumbledore's Army.'

Dumbledore shook his head. 'I politely decline once again.'

Lily stood up abruptly and strolled down to the end of the table, all the way down to where Fawkes sat on his perch. She glanced back down. 'This is a real Phoenix, right?' she asked.

'Most certainly,' Dumbledore replied.

'And most rare,' Lily said in a soft voice that somehow seemed to carry around the room. 'They die, and from their own ashes—from their own destruction—life emerges.' Everyone sat, watching her as she watched the phoenix. She turned around. 'Voldemort's followers call themselves the Death Eaters because they think they can conquer death,' she said firmly. 'But we—we're smarter. We know that you can't conquer death.'

James nodded. 'It's like you said to Voldemort on the night you fought,' he said. 'That wherever you stamp good people out, more will come forward to take up the fight.'

'So there's life in death,' Lily went on. 'Just like a phoenix.' She paused. 'I think that's it. We call ourselves the Order of the Phoenix.'

Everyone glanced back up the table at Dumbledore, who was smiling serenely back at Lily. He peered over the top of his half-moon spectacles at the others gathered around the table. 'Any objections?' he asked. No one said anything. 'Very well,' he replied. 'Welcome, all of you, to the Order of the Phoenix.'


	54. Vehicles and Fits

54

The rest of the school year seemed to pass by impossibly quickly after that first meeting, which had taken place in early March. The teachers continued to prepare the students for their OWL year, the Order of the Phoenix met once more in May, and everyone began looking forward to the summer. Alice's brother Caradoc was graduating from Hogwarts and was going to be heading off to do work for the Order immediately upon doing so.

'Gathering information,' Alice had declared with a combination of pride and worry. 'The Ministry has already shown great interest in hiring him, so they want to see how close they can get him to the Department of International Magical Co-Operation to keep an eye on the spies.'

Mundungus Fletcher continued to seem profoundly miserable at the next meeting. While the optimist in James wanted to assume that he felt terrible that his information had lead to so many deaths, he knew that the real reason Fletcher was so distraught was because it meant the other side knew he was a spy and had deliberately fed him the information through his own contacts.

Sirius seemed genuinely excited for the summer to begin, as it would be his first one away from his house. He and Regulus still bumped into each other in the hallways and would begin arguing at top volume for everyone to hear about their parents, about Voldemort and the new order. James found this incredibly surprising—given how many people viewed Voldemort as very bad news, it was incredibly brazen of Regulus to continue espousing his loyalty for the Dark Lord the way he was.

Snape had thus far kept to his end of the bargain about not provoking James, and he had done the same. This made Lily inordinately happy, and by extension, James was quite pleased as well. She had actually taken to spending time along with him when they weren't sitting by the common room fire in the wee hours of the morning. One such day towards the end of the year found the two of them walking out in the sunshine on the school grounds. Students everywhere were basking in the warm glow of the sun, the smell of summer in the air.

'So, I finally asked McGonagall about Umbridge,' Lily suddenly said, her cheeks slightly pink as she did so.

James laughed. 'Fancying another go at her?' he asked.

Lily rolled her eyes. 'We're pranking her, aren't we?' she asked.

James sighed happily. 'I've waited my whole life to hear you say those words, Evans,' he said with a grin and she laughed her pleasant, tinkling laugh that seemed to warm James' heart more than the sun ever could have.

'I have to admit—there's something _exciting_ about it,' Lily said. At James' quizzical smirk, she clarified. 'Umbridge really, _really _deserves it. Nobody else has tried to stick you in Azkaban for the rest of your life.'

James chuckled. 'If that's what you have to tell yourself,' he said knowingly, earning himself a playful shove from Lily. 'So, what did McGonagall say?'

'Nothing official, but Crouch has barred her from re-entering the castle. McGonagall reckons that she was trying to make a name for herself by getting you convicted. When that failed, she got upset,' she said simply.

'So she's not coming back to the castle,' James muttered.

Lily raised an eyebrow. 'Is a detail like that really going to stop James Potter from committing a prank?' she asked.

Now it was James' turn to laugh. 'What are you proposing, Evans? That we go right to the Ministry of Magic this summer and prank her?'

Lily batted her eyelashes innocently. 'Maybe,' she replied.

James wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave them a squeeze. 'I am so glad to have you in our ranks, Evans. I don't think any of us would have dared dream of that.'

'You know me—Gryffindor, where dwell the brave and bold of heart,' Lily said.

James released her shoulders as they walked down by the lake. 'So now that we have that planned for the summer, what else do you plan to do?' he asked.

'See my family,' Lily sighed. 'They've been in North America since February. I told them to get as far away from all of this nonsense as possible. They'll come back for the summer though, and I'll figure out some ways to protect the house.'

James raised his eyebrows. 'Like what?'

'I've been reading up on all sorts of charms and enchantments. You might want to as well—the Ministry can't spare Aurors for protection detail anymore,' she said.

'True,' James sighed. 'Sirius and I will have to take turns sleeping in shifts at night time,' he muttered.

'You must be excited about that,' Lily said. 'Having Sirius coming to live with you?'

James chuckled. 'I certainly am. Not sure about my parents, though. They'll have likely just repaired the house from the damage we did to it in February, they may not be keen on seeing the two of us tear it down so quickly.'

Lily laughed again. 'Will Remus and Peter be joining you?' she asked.

'At some point,' James replied. 'How about you?'

'How about me what?' Lily asked.

'Might you join us at some point over the summer?' James asked hopefully.

Lily pursed her lips. 'I might put in an appearance.'

James chuckled. 'Failing that, I could always show up at your house. Maybe your bedroom could do with a mural of my face on the ceiling to match the one here?' James suggested, raising his eyebrows.

Lily's eyes narrowed. 'Do it and die,' she said, but she was still smirking. 'How is Sirius doing, anyway? Marlene's not saying anything, and I'm too afraid to ask,' she said.

Sirius and Marlene had been on the rocks ever since the wrong-name incident several months prior. They were arguing all the time now, and Sirius was doing his best to remain upbeat at all times. It was not lost on James, however, that the whole ordeal was taking a toll on him. 'He's okay,' James said after a moment. 'I think he's looking forward to have some space for a while so he can sort things out.'

'That sounds unexpectedly mature of him,' Lily said.

James laughed. 'You seem surprised whenever any one of us acts mature,' he said.

'That's because it _is _genuinely surprising,' Lily said as she glanced across the lake and sighed again. James glanced over as well—sitting across the lake, a book open in his lap that he was making no effort to read, was Severus Snape.

James shook his head in amusement. 'He isn't really taking to all of this very well, is he?'

'There's a lot of water under that bridge,' Lily conceded.

'Is it still the usual wanting to see me disembowelled or something like that?' James said.

Lily looked at him sternly. 'He's never expressed anything of the sort,' she said.

'Maybe not out loud,' James muttered, causing her to laugh.

At that moment, a voice called out behind them. They both turned to see Sirius, Remus and Peter jogging up behind them. James looked across the lake again to see Snape had picked up his book and stormed off in a huff.

'Enjoying a nice, romantic stroll?' Sirius said easily with a grin.

Lily went pink. 'Just enjoying the sun, Black,' she said.

'Keep telling yourself that, love,' Sirius replied with a wink. 'Hey James, I wanted to ask you—remember our Christmas presents from your parents?'

James let a dreamy grin sprawl across his face. 'Yeah. I can't wait to take my Nimbus 1500 out on the pitch…'

Lily rolled her eyes. 'You and your Quidditch,' she muttered.

Remus chuckled. 'I don't know, Lily. I've seen you get pretty into more than a few matches before,' he said knowingly.

Lily sniffed. 'That's different—I was rooting for Alice.'

'What am I, chopped liver?' James asked.

'Of course not,' Lily said kindly. 'You're more like Brussels sprouts,' she added to a roar of laughter from Sirius as James stared at her in mock-horror.

'You must be eggplant,' James retorted, and now it was Lily's turn to act mockly-indignant.

'I like eggplant,' Peter said helpfully, which just caused everyone to laugh harder.

James looked at Sirius. 'Anyway, before we discuss an entire salad bar—you were asking about Christmas?' he asked.

Sirius produced a key from his pocket and everyone looked at it closely. 'I found this while I was getting some of my things organized the other day,' he said curiously. 'I still have no idea what it's for. What do you reckon?'

'I'm still guessing a house key—although it'd be more symbolic than anything,' James said. 'Between your knife and our wands, we could open any door.'

'That's not a house key,' Lily said dismissively, taking it from Sirius' hand and examining it. 'This is for a vehicle.'

'Ve-hic-le?' Peter asked monosyllabically, as if he were tasting each syllable like a foreign food.

Lily chuckled. 'Yes, vehicles—motor vehicles, you must be familiar with that, at least,' she said.

'Like cars?' Sirius asked excitedly.

Lily nodded, a surprised smile on her face. 'You know a bit about Muggles, I see,' she said.

'What's a car?' Remus asked.

'Picture a—a big box that moves with pedals and levers that you have to control,' Lily said slowly. 'And it can move at great speeds, almost as fast as broomsticks. But you can transport multiple people in them at once.'

Peter looked awestruck. 'That sounds amazing. Amazing what Muggles can think of without magic…'

Remus, on the other hand, looked horrified. 'So let me get this straight. We think that James' parents have just given Sirius—_Sirius Black_—the keys to a muggle transportation vehicle capable of travelling at great speeds? And we're supposed to expect that they're completely sane?'

James, Peter and Lily roared with laughter as Sirius looked at Remus indignantly. 'Hark who's talking, I know a little bit about muggle stuff,' he said defensively. 'How do you plan on getting around, then?'

'I can fly a broom,' Remus countered.

Sirius snorted derisively. 'You're better at sweeping with one than you are flying on one,' he said.

James chuckled. 'Oi, guess what Evans just told me—Umbridge has been forbidden from coming back to the castle,' he said.

Sirius looked disappointed, while Remus looked smug. 'Looks like Lily got the message through,' he said.

'But how will we prank her?' Sirius said dejectedly.

James took a sidelong glance at Lily. 'I think there's still a few ideas floating around out there,' he said suggestively.

Remus groaned. 'You can't be serious,' he muttered.

'Of course I'm not, he is,' James said jokingly as he pointed at Sirius, whose face had brightened hopefully at his words.

Peter frowned. 'So…what are you planning?'

'I've got a vague idea,' James said. 'Something I think we're going to need all of us to successfully pull off.'

Lily chuckled. 'Is he always this cryptic when he starts describing a prank?'

'Always,' Remus agreed.

James gestured to Lily. 'We have a new evil mastermind on our side,' he said happily. 'I get the feeling she's going to put us all to shame by the time it's all said and done.'

Remus looked stunned. 'This was your idea?'

'I may have been half joking,' Lily said.

'But you weren't,' James prodded.

Lily sighed. 'No, I wasn't. I want to see Umbridge end up with egg on her face as much as anyone else does,' she sad.

Remus shook his head. 'What have we done?' he sighed. 'How have we managed to corrupt Lily Evans?'

'It's not corrupt if the person you intend to prank is corrupt,' Lily sniffed.

Sirius laughed. 'Careful, this could be a gateway prank,' he said.

Lily sighed as she glanced across the lake again, apparently searching for Snape as well. After a moment, she looked back at the four of them. 'You know, this is really fun,' she said.

'Plotting pranks?' Peter asked

Lily shook her head. 'No, just talking and laughing with you. I haven't laughed this much in—in a long time,' she said after a moment.

James smiled. 'It all kind of fits, doesn't it? You and us,' he said.

'It kind of does, oddly enough,' Lily said as they started to head back towards the castle in the afternoon sun.


	55. Bikes and Stars

55

The final day of his fourth year at Hogwarts felt markedly different from his other ones. For one thing, James was incredibly wary of it. In his second year, the Hogwarts Express had been ambushed by Rochefort and the Death Eaters as they had brazenly kidnapped Professor Mondego straight off the train. And only a year ago, James had found himself in what—at the time—was the fight of his life against Rochefort, an event that had set off the darkest and most grueling summer of his life.

'Don't worry about it, mate,' Sirius said bracingly as they set down in the dining hall for their final breakfast of the year. 'I'm not leaving your side. In fact, when we're on the train, I'm going to attach myself to you with a sticking charm.'

James laughed in spite of himself. 'You're joking, right?'

'Certainly not,' Sirius said. 'If old one-arm wants to come after you, he's going to have to deal with me as well,' he added firmly.

Lily, who was sitting across from them beside Alice, shook her head in amusement. 'You two will finally be truly inseparable,' she said. 'Have you picked a venue for your wedding?'

'Har har,' James replied as he rubbed his hands together. 'I wonder what the elves have in store for us this morning—I feel like I could eat a hippogriff,' he said excitedly.

Frank arrived at the table and sat down next to Alice. He looked a little tired, but upbeat as he handed out several rolls of parchment to everyone around. 'What's this?' Remus asked.

'Home defense measures,' Frank said. 'Ranging from charms, to traps, to escape plans, to questions that will ensure you are in fact talking to family members and not Death Eaters in disguise or—worse—someone under the Imperius Curse,' he said.

Lily's eyes were wide as she read over the list. 'Did you make all of this, Frank?'

'Yeah—took me most of the night,' he said. Alice looked at him approvingly and squeezed his hand as he smiled. 'I've grown rather fond of you all, and I'd like to see you all again next fall.'

James' stomach lurched at the thought. He cast his gaze around the table—Remus, Peter, Lily, Alice, Frank, the Twins, Caradoc, Mary, Emmeline, Marlene, Sirius, himself…would any of them be missing when next year began? Would they have been kept home by their parents or even worse?

'Well, it looks like if we stick to this list, we'll all be fine,' Emmeline said suddenly, causing everyone to look at her in shock. She rarely spoke. 'It seems fairly comprehensive,' she added as if nothing major had just happened.

Remus cleared his throat. 'You should offer copies to the Ministry of Magic, Frank,' he said.

'Already have done. Edgar Bones sent an owl containing this to his sister this morning,' Frank replied as he stretched. 'With any luck, they'll make some improvements and a few more suggestions and then disburse it to the magical community as a whole.'

James chuckled. 'You ought to be Minister for Magic someday, Frank,' he said.

'Nah—I'm dead set on Auror,' Frank said. 'Can't imagine spending my days doing anything other than putting Dark Wizards in prison.'

Alice blinked innocently. 'Really? You can't imagine anything else?'

'Apart from spending time with you, of course,' Frank amended hastily, causing Alice to giggle.

'Dumbledore,' Peter said suddenly and the great hall seemed to fall silent as Dumbledore stood from the staff table. The other teachers were all there, the Defense Against the Dark Arts chair once more empty. Dumbledore waited until every set of eyes in the hall was focused upon him before smiling his usual benign smile.

'Another year has come and gone,' he said. 'This forces us to conduct simultaneously one of the greatest and one of the hardest tasks that befalls us as teachers, and that is to bid farewell another fine crop of seventh year students as they emerge from Hogwarts ready to take on the trials and tribulations of the world outside of these castle walls.'

Dumbledore paused as he looked up at the enchanted ceiling. 'Never before, perhaps, have those words been so true,' he said as he stepped out from behind his table. 'Trials await all of us beyond these walls. For each person, they may differ ever so slightly, but none can any longer deny that the world is changing more and more every day. This is not something we can merely close our eyes to, clap our hands over our ears and pretend not to hear—for this is no longer a mere ideological struggle that we find ourselves entering into. This is rapidly becoming a battle for our very survival.'

James swallowed and glanced across the table at Lily—she quickly averted her gaze, which had been focused squarely on James himself.

'This is no longer about the Ministry of Magic against the forces of Lord Voldemort,' Dumbledore went on. 'This conflict is now about good versus evil. Those who would murder against those who would do all within their power to stop it.' He paused as he approached the top of the steps leading down to where the dining tables were. 'Of course, many of you will choose different courses of action,' he went on. 'Some will fight. Some of you may even choose to fight on opposing sides,' he added, at which James glanced over at the Slytherin table. Unsurprisingly, he found Severus Snape unabashedly sneering back at him. 'And some of you may wish to avoid this conflict altogether. But if I could impress one thing upon you all…it would be this; never forget what you have learned here at Hogwarts. And by that I do not mean what you have learned in the classrooms, from us as your teachers—but what you have learned from each other. The values of friendship, teamwork, those very things that were so exemplified in the Combat Championship…do not forget. Because within your capacity to care for one another, lies perhaps the most powerful weapon to be harnessed in the upcoming conflict.'

Dumbledore smiled once again. 'That weapon is hope.'

The feast passed quickly—James, who had been so hungry before Dumbledore had spoken, had barely found himself able to eat. He forced down food, knowing that if he somehow found himself in another live or death situation, that he had to be physically primed and ready. They then exited the school, their trunks and bags all waiting for them in the entrance hall. The scarlet steam engine was waiting for them in Hogsmeade Village, and already, they noted the differences of the train. There were no black suited Aurors waiting to escort them, but Dumbledore himself boarded the train, which was being guarded by Dorcas Meadowes, Dirk Cresswell, Hagrid and Benjy Fenwick. Dorcas and Cresswell waved happily at James, causing him to smile and wave back as he boarded the train.

He had barely sat down when he felt an odd sticking sensation on his back. He whipped his head around to see Sirius grinning at him, his hand now morphed seamlessly into James' shoulder. 'Really?' James asked.

'You're not going anywhere without me,' Sirius declared as Remus and Peter sat down across from them. A few moments later, the train began to move and their journey had begun. They did their best to pass the time and the train ride back to London, talking about the year that had passed and what they were looking forward to in the year to come.

'We need to set aside some time this summer to practice,' James said firmly. 'Becoming Animagi.'

'I'd almost forgotten that,' Peter said.

Remus snorted. 'You might have,' he muttered.

Peter flushed. 'Well, we are working to help you,' he said.

'I appreciate it—but I think it bears repeating, you don't have to do this,' Remus said.

'Nonsense,' Sirius replied. 'Marauders always have each other's backs. In my case,' he added, indicating his hand that was attached to James' shoulder, 'quite literally.'

They all laughed, and then Peter looked at James worriedly. 'Do you think Rochefort's going to try something again?'

Remus shook his head. 'If he does, he'll have all of us to contend with,' he said.

'Nobody kills Rochefort but us,' came Lily's voice from the doorway and they all turned to see her standing there. 'Sorry, but a deal's a deal. Potter and I made that arrangement.'

Sirius chuckled. 'You failed to mention that one to us, James,' he said.

James smiled at Lily as she leaned on the door frame. 'Guess it slipped my mind,' he said. 'I knew there was a reason I cut off his arm instead of his head.' Sirius barked with laughter, although both Remus and Lily looked a little alarmed. 'Joking,' James replied.

'So when does the first meeting of the Marauders take place?' Sirius asked. 'Marauders and Lily, I should add?'

Everyone looked at Lily expectantly and she laughed. 'I'm new to all of this, you're going to have to tell me,' she declared.

'We'll figure something out soon,' James replied.

They talked the rest of the way to London, Lily excusing herself partway through to go and spend some of the train ride with Snape. Most of their discussion centered around various ways to prank Dolores Umbridge.

All too shortly and simultaneously a long while later, the train arrived and they all began to disembark. Peter's parents were waiting to take him away, and Remus bid them farewell at the same time. Sirius scowled as he saw Regulus bound off down the platform to meet Orion and Walburga, who glared at Sirius and James.

'Want me to hex them?' James asked.

Sirius snorted. 'They're not worth the effort,' he said as they turned and scanned the crowded platform for James' parents. 'Where do you think they are?' he wondered aloud.

The words were barely out of his mouth, when a black owl with a shock of silver in its feathers came swooping down towards them. 'Seger!' James said in surprise as he landed on his shoulder. James pulled a small envelope off of Seger's ankle and the owl flew away once more. 'Weird, he usually wants a treat at least,' James said as he unrolled the parchment.

'_James and Sirius,_

_Everything but what you need has already been brought here._

_Enjoy your flight._

_Dad'_

Sirius was reading over his shoulder as he frowned. 'What does that mean?' he wondered. They looked behind them and their confusion was compounded even more—their bags were gone except for an envelope baring Sirius' name, and James' Nimbus 1500.

'It's the key,' Sirius muttered as he one-handedly opened his envelope. 'They left me a key and you a broom?'

James frowned. 'Evans thought it was for a muggle vehicle, right?' he asked.

'Yeah…' Sirius said.

'Come on,' James implored and they took off across the platform, James holding his broom. 'Unstick yourself from me, mate. I think if someone was going to jump us, they would have already,' he said firmly.

Sirius complained, but he complied. They went through the magical barrier back into King's Cross Station and made their way through the crowds of muggles, exiting the station into a parking lot. 'This is where most of the muggles seem to come from,' James said.

'You think they want me to drive one of these cars to your house?' Sirius said in surprise. 'I have no idea how to follow muggle roads to Godric's Hollow.'

James frowned as they looked at some of the vehicles, when his eyes rested on one particular one—it looked very different, and was clearly designed for just one passenger, and it was to be ridden rather than climbed into. The license plate, which was very small, read: .

'Sirius,' James said, pointing.

Sirius saw it and his eyes went wide. 'A motorcycle?' he said in amazement.

'Is that what that is?' James mused.

Sirius rushed over and leapt onto it, plunging the key into the ignition as it purred to life. 'Wow,' he said excitedly.

'So…how does it work?' James asked.

'One way to find out,' Sirius replied as he rubbed his hands together.

James looked around. 'Do you think that's wise? Here?'

Sirius shrugged. 'Clearly your Dad thought so,' he said, and he twisted a knob. James flinched—he had half expected Sirius to launch forwards and crash into the wall, but something amazing happened. He launched straight up into the year, crying out in delight as he did so. He then zipped around in a long loop as though he were riding a broom.

'Holy…' James said in open mouthed amazement.

Sirius turned the bike into a vertical dive and pulled up at the last moment so he was level with James. His long hair was swept back from his face which was alive with excitement and joy. 'Come on, James, before any muggles see us!'

And just like that, James realized why he had only his broom. He tucked it between his legs and grinned at Sirius. 'Ready to fly?' he said.

'You bet,' Sirius declared. 'Second star to the right, and straight on til morning!'

'You can tell me what that means on the way,' James laughed as he launched into the air, Sirius' bike roaring after him as they rocketed into the sky.


	56. Author's Note

And that brings to a close Year Four. Thanks again to everyone who has been following along, especially to those who have offered their support. Special thanks to regular reviewers such as Idonotget, LilyxJames4ever, and Jaisler who have been along for the ride since I began writing Year One—your comments, constructive criticisms and interpretations of my work sometimes give me new ideas.

But above all, as I continue writing these stories, I would like to thank my beautiful wife (yes poohead, I know you will be reading this—and the readers who enjoy these stories have you to thank for so much of it). When I am struck with writer's block, your persistence and insistence that I get a chapter up post-haste is what forces me through it. You and our beautiful son keep me going strong with endless streams of inspiration.

Year Five will begin shortly—it's a year I've been _dying _to get to for some time, as there is so much juicy stuff set to occur. Many of you have asked if the fabled lake-side argument after the OWL Exams will be there. You may recall in my Author's Note for Year One, I said the following;

"_I do try and keep the story as canonical as possible while also trying to keep parts of it fresh, so major events stay the same, but some of the smaller details may be expanded upon."_

So with that said, hold on to your hats, it's going to be a bumpy ride.


End file.
